Jozaandre Booysen, former Member Bursary Holder and current LegalWise Branch Manager, Bellville
I grew up on the garden route, in a coastal town called Mossel Bay. Whilst studying at Stellenbosch University, I received a bursary from the LegalWise Member Bursary Programme and worked at the Bellville Branch during my vacation times as part of my contract obligations. After I graduated with my LLB degree, I fulfilled my service level obligation as a Policy Liaison officer at the Bellville Branch. Soon thereafter I transferred to the Cape Town Branch where I worked as a Legal Counsellor. I left LegalWise in 2016 to do my articles in the criminal law field and was admitted as an attorney. Following this, I returned to the Cape Town Branch as a Legal Counsellor and when the position of Senior Legal Counsellor became vacant, I transferred back to the Bellville Branch and 6 months later I was appointed as the Branch Manager.
My grandparents were my biggest inspiration to study hard and help others. My passion has always been to help people, to fight for justice and I could not think of any other way of doing this other than studying law. The law equipped me academically but my passion for people led me to my current journey. On the day I wrote my board exams, my grandmother sadly passed away. I had two options. Firstly, I could allow the chaos around to shrink me or I could stay focused on my dream, despite the odds. Needless to say, I chose the latter.
I have always been a hardworking and very dedicated person. Once I set my mind on a goal, I persevere despite any odds. I run my own race at my own pace, one day at a time. As a student/legal counsellor/senior legal counsellor and now manager, my aim was and is to always be better than I was yesterday. I improve and evolve daily, by making mistakes and learning from them.
H. Jackson Brown Jr said “opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”. When an opportunity comes along, you should either grab it with both hands or you will give the opportunity to someone else who is willing to grab it with both hands; the choice is yours.
This has taught me that every day you are given the opportunity to improve yourself, while focusing on your own goals. With hard work and the right attitude, you are half way to reaching your goals. Remain focused and you will succeed.