Moving across continents comes with a lot of trepidation, especially as a 24-year-old that’s just gotten married. Success stories rarely happen overnight and Wuraola Dasylva’s journey is no different.
She started as a graduate student with the national law firm Miller Thomson LLP. “It was one of the toughest things I had to do in my adult life,” she said. “I was leaving my family, friends, everything I have known all my life.”
Dasylva moved from Nigeria to Canada in 2015 as an international student. She studied for a master’s degree in law at the University of Manitoba and was called to the Canadian bar in 2018.
“I joined the firm in 2017 as an articling student. I have enjoyed enormous support from the people I work with. I work with the most brilliant legal minds.”
The 32-year-old was named partner in the firm she started with as a student just five years ago.
“I still have that pinch-me moment, if I am allowed to describe it that way — it feels very surreal,” she said.
“It feels very rewarding for one’s hard work to be recognized.”
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While Dasylva’s rise has been quick on Canadian soil, her previous experience in Nigeria was key to her promotion.
“Miller Thompson was also looking at my experience from Nigeria because I was called to the Nigerian bar in 2014,” Dasylva said. “They looked to what my specific situation is and determined that I was deserving of some credit for my foreign experience, so I became eligible sooner than I would have been, because I have been called in another jurisdiction for a longer period.”
Dasylva added that she got a fully-funded scholarship for her master’s program and moved with her husband.
“It was a long process, but with determination, with great support and hard work. I think I was able to do it, but it wasn’t a one-month journey,” she said. “It was like a whole village helping me and rooting for me.”
Eric Johnson, the local managing partner at Miller Thompson, said he feels this is a well-deserved accomplishment.
“I have had the opportunity to work with her and seen her growth and development, which has been significant,” he said. “She has been a tremendous asset to our firm. She is an excellent lawyer. Her work quality is absolutely first grade as is her level of client service and her professional skill set. I have seen it grow and develop.”
Dasylva believes this success is not for her alone.
“I want to show other people like me — you know, women, mothers immigrants — what can be done, what can be achieved, what they can accomplish,” she said.
“I am sharing my story today because I want people to know that it is very possible. Canada is a land of opportunities.”
She had some tips for other immigrant women working on their journey. “Connect with the right people, find your own support system, be a part of the community, in networking and in giving back to the community,” she said.
Dasylva suggested to start early when someone lands in Canada and to be open-minded.
“You may have practiced in a certain area, you may have held a different job, but Canada is a land of opportunities,” Dasylva said. “It’s a place where you could start afresh and still blossom.
“So find the right support system, volunteer, be a part of the community, start early, ask questions and just believe in yourself.”
It’s a message of hope for other immigrants who have left loved ones and travelled thousands of kilometres, hoping for a new life in Canada.
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