“I don’t come from a family of lawyers or folks who work in law. As an immigrant to Canada, it was just my parents and I trying to navigate post-secondary education, this became apparent when I was initially interested in law. When I started at Osgoode Hall Law School, I noticed that there was a collection of folks who were like me, but also those individuals who also came from extensive backgrounds and families in law. I felt like I was initially at a disadvantage.
That said, Osgoode does a good job at levelling the playing field and creating opportunities for mentorship. I realized the way you can express sentiments of not belonging was by reaching out to people who are older, who have been where you have been and who are willing to help. I was able to interact with people who graduated from Osgoode, and even met seasoned lawyers like Peter Thurton, who took the time to mentor me. Osgoode brought in people to teach us how to apply to firms, write resumes and other things I didn’t know.
Mentorship is important to me because I don’t think I would have been able to get to the places I’m in now, and would hope to get to, without the people who invested in me. It really helps you feel as though you belong. I think that inspired me to do the same for others and be transparent about it. I recognized that if you’re being “fed into”, it’s important to feed back into the community, because you never know where people are coming from. Mentorship needs to be genuine, so that’s what I’ve tried to do.
When I was working at my own community hospital in Brampton, I was inspired to see the interplay between healthcare and the law and the ways it could be used to help patients and community hospitals excel. I saw that the hospital had programs that took the needs of patients into account and to create community programs. It redefined health care and what a hospital should do in the community, while also meeting the needs of immigrants and new families.
I was motivated by the people around me who showed me of how you can use law and in various ways. One thing I’m inspired to do is create initiatives that enhance the patient care experience and where I can provide care for patients as a physician and use my knowledge as a lawyer to write and create policy that will motivate change beyond those encounters.
Osgoode really inspired me and gave me the opportunity to bridge law and healthcare by, among other things, helping me find a placement at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. While I was there, I worked directly with ambassadors to redefine how these countries viewed human rights and achieve their human rights objectives. That was impactful because it reminded me that even though you are one person, you’re still able to make a very local change, but also a very global impact.”
Corey is a mentor and advocate within the Black community. At Osgoode, Corey was active in the school’s Black Law Students Association (BLSA) where he was an academic mentor. In 2020, he was a member of the law school’s admissions team where he played an integral role in championing diversity by assisting in the selection of the class of 2024. Corey is currently completing his medical degree at Queen’s University and recently completed research in Sick Cell Disease at Toronto General Hospital and is a 2024 recipient of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame for Medical Students.