“One of the happiest periods in my life” – Alumna Carol Edwards JA CD (St Edmund's, 1999) shares her memories of life at Cambridge

Carol Edwards JA, CD has been a Judge of the Court of Appeal of Jamaica since 2017. Before that, she was a High Court Judge sitting in the Criminal and Civil divisions and latterly in the Commercial division. Before joining the judiciary she began her legal career as a public prosecutor with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Jamaica. Before becoming an attorney, she spent several years as a teacher of history and economics and as a public administrator with the government of Jamaica. She has published articles in the West Indian Law Journal and holds degrees in history and politics as well as in law, with an LLB from the University of Cambridge, St Edmunds College. In 2022, she was conferred with the Order of Distinction Commander Class by the Government of Jamaica for services in the field of law.

Personal Journey to Cambridge Before journeying to Cambridge, I spent five years as a public prosecutor (Crown Counsel). Before studying law as a mature student, I worked firstly as a high school teacher and then as an Administrator in a government agency. I always wanted to be a lawyer, so I decided to apply to the faculty of law. I was recruited as a Crown Counsel directly upon graduating from the Norman Manley Law School. Based on the experiences gained in this position I decided to apply for a scholarship to study for the LLM. I was successful in attaining both a Chevening Scholarship to study in Wales as well as a Commonwealth Scholarship to study at Cambridge. I chose Cambridge to study Commercial Law and was accepted at St Edmund’s College where I gained the LLB with distinction.

Life at St Edmund’s College I love the law and always knew I would either reach the top of the profession as a Prosecutor or as a Judge. When the Commercial Division of the High Court was established, I dreamed of sitting on the bench in that division. I felt that having specialised training in commercial law was important to that goal. That is the major reason I chose to study at Cambridge. St Edmund's College was a wonderful place to study and live as a mature international student. It was small, quiet (for the most part) and many of the students were mature in age and outlook. I fully immersed myself in college life and made many friends amongst the staff and students. I was extremely happy there.

Memorable experience with significant impact I arrived in Cambridge weeks late. I was supposed to live outside of College but having arrived late (at night) to the College, it was unclear whether my accommodation was still available or even where exactly it was. I was also extremely exhausted after nearly 11 hours of travel. The lady in charge of housekeeping, who happened to be at the reception desk at the time, took one look at me and handed me a key to a room in college. That set the tone for my treatment in college as everyone was extremely nice to me and went over and above to make my stay as comfortable as possible. A few of us did not go home at Christmas time that year and the Master and his wife came to College to have Christmas dinner with us. That also cemented my conviction that St Edmund’s was the best college in Cambridge. My entire experience at St Edmund’s interacting with staff and tutors, who all became friends and mentors, was positive and impactful and it is difficult to pick one experience over the several I encountered.

Professors, mentors or classmates who inspired or influenced me. As LLM candidates we did not have tutors in college but all my lecturers and tutors in the faculty were people whose texts and treatises I had been studying and citing my entire law career to date. It was quite impressive to study under them all. But the non-legal connections I made in college were far more impactful on my wellbeing. For instance, having joined the college choir and meeting Mrs. Judith Banbury, she took me under her wing. Not only did she invite me into her home but she also took me to my first and only play in the West End. A visiting Fellow at College also obligingly took me to see my first and only Opera.

When my grandmother died just before exams Father Frank acted as my spiritual advisor at college and journeyed with me to ensure that I not only studied and passed, but did extremely well in my exams. I will always be grateful for those acts of thoughtful kindness. My friends Vlatka, Vanessa, Jane, Patience, Ganga, Edna, Lucky and Alfred made life in College and nightlife in Cambridge a delight and they continue to be my friends even now years later. Through their eyes I am able to see the world.

A rewarding extracurricular activity To me extracurricular activity in Cambridge seemed to be all about rowing and rugby, none of which I played. I wanted to join a theatre movement but I never could find just how to go about it, and the time seemed too short for any meaningful activity. I was determined however, to do some extracurricular activity, so I joined the College choir. Singing in the choir, in chapel, at the various events, proved to be surprisingly inspiring and fulfilling for me.

This was especially surprising since none of my other friends joined. I still remember our lead male singer Andreas with the voice of an angel. I also have fond memories of the spontaneous piano singing by choir members after College formal dinners.

Beyond Graduation Being at St Edmunds exposed me to a myriad of positive experiences all of which had and continues to have a positive impact on my life. My exposure to students from all over the world of different ethnicities and backgrounds has served me well in my professional development and maturity. For instance, a particularly odious accusation was once levelled at me and my only defence was that it was not possible as I was a graduate of St Edmund’s College Cambridge. It was a full answer to the charges.

What values did you learn at Cambridge? Cambridge underscored my belief that people are the same wherever they are from. As a result, I was able to make lifelong friends from all over the globe. I have also learnt that it is better to believe in oneself but have no great expectations of others or great disappointment will follow.

My career Having achieved my LLM at Cambridge, on my return home I was invited to join the judiciary at the Parish Court level. It came as no surprise when I was asked to sit in the newly minted Commercial division of the High Court, some years later. It was a dream come true.

Challenges Being a female in a largely male-led field, can be a challenge, although the ratio of females to males in the profession has increased exponentially. Female judges in some parts of the world do still encounter a great deal of obstacles to their personal and professional development. Becoming a member and later president of the Jamaica Association of Women Judges, is just one of the ways in which I have personally attempted to assist in finding ways to alleviate those obstacles mainly through our membership in the International Association of Women Judges and the Caribbean Association of Women Judges.

Leadership lessons The greatest lesson I have learnt, as a leader, is that it is not always necessary to lead from the front and that leading by delegating is also good leadership. In fact, those who you lead prefer that in a leader over one who tries to do it all and micro-manages. It is an issue of trust.

In a nutshell… I call Eddies the little College on the hill. But what it loses in size it gains in heart. In my view, St Edmund’s is the best College to study at in Cambridge. I cannot imagine studying anywhere else. I surely would have been most unhappy. St Edmund’s is like a large, warm, happy family and even though it has grown and physically expanded since I was there. Having been back to visit, I can see it has not lost its sense of community. Furthermore, Eddies has the best bops, ask anybody. My time in Eddies remains one of the happiest periods in my life.

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