Naomi Sayers
Degrees: Western University (BA '14, Hons. Criminology & Minor in Women’s Studies), University of Ottawa (Juris Doctor, with two specializations, public law, and dispute resolution and professionalism)
Current Position: Lawyer with own practice
Website: https://www.meetnaomi.com/
Twitter: @kwetoday
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomisayers
To be honest, the initial reason I took a women’s studies course was because I needed a credit. After my first Women’s Studies course, I wish I had discovered this area of scholarship and study sooner. And, after my first Women’s Studies course, I ended up completing a minor in addition to my Honours Specialization in Criminology.
In my graduating year, I applied to the MA program in Women’s Studies at Western and I was accepted but I was also accepted to the law schools I applied to. One of my Women’s Studies professors convinced me to go to law school after I had a hard time deciding which path to take. This is not to say that Women’s Studies have not continued to benefit me to this day; I even try to convince other students who are interested in law to take a Women’s Studies course. In the end, I was happy I took a Women’s Studies course and I believe that my Women’s Studies courses helped prepare me for law school and more recently, a lawyer. I say this because while at Western, I took several courses on women and the law, and we had lively discussions about the impacts of laws on women. I ended up writing more about my experiences as an Indigenous woman and the law.
My writing is now used by people and organizations engaging in policy and law reform around the world (my work has been cited at the UN by groups). I am also frequently asked to review work, comment on law and policy, and write in publications. It is without a doubt that Women’s Studies helped shape me who I am today, and it continues to help inform my own practice and values.
