Latest update June 3rd, 2026 12:40 AM
Determined Great Diamond law graduate called to the bar
Attorney Merissa Kassandra Bryan
(Kaieteur News) – Twenty-nine-year-old Merissa Kassandra Bryan of Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara, stood proudly before Madam Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on Tuesday to be officially called to the bar.
Bryan’s petition was presented by attorney and legal advisor to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Mrs. Kara Duff-Yehudah, before Justice Isaacs-Marcus, who granted same.
Delivering brief remarks, Justice Isaacs-Marcus urged the new attorney to always uphold honesty, integrity, and truthfulness in her dealings with the court, clients, and peers. The judge noted that, based on all she had heard, she had “no reason to refuse Mrs. Bryan’s petition” and expressed confidence that Bryan would excel in her legal career.
In her response, Bryan reflected on the trials and triumphs that shaped her path from a determined little girl in Diamond to a newly minted attorney.
“Today, I stand before you not merely as a law school graduate, but as a woman whose journey has been shaped by faith, sacrifice, and divine purpose,” she said.
Bryan recounted that her dream of becoming a lawyer began as early as age seven, while attending the Josel Education Institute. “I developed a deep desire to help others. I wanted to be like the man I was told about: Jesus Christ; he is compassionate, just, and a defender of those in need.”
Attorney Merissa Kassandra Bryan
She developed a spirit of debating from the age of nine, and worked on her journey to becoming a lawyer.
However, her road to the legal profession was far from easy. After excelling in her Caribbean Secondary Education Council (CSEC) examinations, Bryan faced a series of academic setbacks that would cause many to give up. Rejected multiple times from the University of Guyana’s law programme due to GPA cut-offs, she was repeatedly told to “try again next year.”
“. I was not granted direct entry into the law programme at the University of Guyana because I lacked CAPE qualifications. Though disappointed, I refused to give up. Instead of pursuing CAPE, I enrolled in a one-year pre-law programme in Communication Studies at UG. I finished with a GPA of 3.0, but when I reapplied, the cut-off that year was 3.1. I was told to try again the following year,” she explained.
Despite heartbreak, financial struggles, and moments of self-doubt, Bryan persisted. She pursued a diploma and later a degree in Communication Studies at the University of Guyana, all while battling personal trials — including pregnancy and her father’s battle with stage four kidney failure.
She recalled one of her most emotional memories: visiting her dying father in the hospital. “He looked at the nurse and said, ‘This one here is the doctor,’ referring to my sister Khadija, ‘and this little one is the lawyer.’ At that point, Khadija was in the midst of her studies in medicine but as for me, I wasn’t even accepted to the law department as yet. Three weeks later, I lost my dad. Three months later, I gave birth to my daughter, Umaya. Through it all, daddy’s words became my promise to fulfil.”
While raising her daughter, Bryan completed her degree with credit, earning mostly A’s and B’s. Eventually, she was finally accepted into the Bachelor of Laws Programme at the University of Guyana.
Merissa Bryan standing next to Madam Justice Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and her petitioner Attorney-at-Law Kara Duff-Yehudah
Her journey continued at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago, where she obtained her Legal Education Certificate. The experience, she said, “was no walk in the park.” Juggling motherhood, marriage, and rigorous academic demands, she encountered numerous obstacles — including having to trail a course after failing a supplemental exam shortly after her wedding. Yet, she persevered and went on to pass all six subjects in her final year.
Bryan credited her success to her faith in God, the unwavering support of her mother, who sacrificed her mortgage plans to fund her studies, and her family and friends who encouraged her throughout. She also expressed heartfelt gratitude to her husband, Nigel, who “prayed and fasted with me through every challenge,” and to her three-year-old daughter, whose innocent countdowns until her mother’s return home gave her strength.
“Your honour,” she declared, “this moment is not just about entering a profession. It’s about fulfilling a calling. I do so not merely as a lawyer, but as a servant a servant of justice, of truth, and of people,” she told the court.
Bryan expressed a keen interest in corporate law, conveyancing, and family law, areas she believes are vital to both individual and national development.
As she concluded her speech, she reflected on the road that brought her to this moment.
“To everyone who walked this road with me, this victory is ours. And to the God of heaven, my guide, my strength, my waymaker , thank you. I vow to carry out this calling with humility, honour, and the fire of divine purpose.”
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Apart from the touching remerberance to her dad on his death bed theres hardly any reference to her mom who sacrificed her mortgage to help fund her studies … I find it strange not even a first name, since the only reason I read this article in detail was because I am familiar with a Bryan Girl from the early 90’s who may be her sister or mom.