M E G H A N M A R K L E
I was going to include this in my weekly #ProjectTwoNineFour blog but its too special so its having a dedicated blog post all of its own.
Anyone who knows me knows I adore Meghan Markle and I have done for years; she has always been an inspiration to me and she is, without a doubt, one of my heroes.
Rachel the Paralegal
The main reason that I came to love her was, of course, through her role as Rachel Zane in Suits, the Paralegal who struggled for years to qualify.
Unsurprisingly, I massively relate to Rachel Zane. I started my law degree in 2007, I first took the IPLS exam in 2009 and didn't qualify until 2017. I took me 10 long years to become a lawyer and it was a hard and devastating path at times. I took that fucking entrance exam 5 times over 6 years, getting a conditional place 4/5 times but could not secure a Master. It just seemed to be disappointment, challenges and rejection over and over again: the recession, firms promising training contracts upon which they had no intention of delivering, being dyslexic, being a married woman of a certain age and fighting peoples assumptions that you want children immediately, being told that I would suit an 'in-house role' better due to my skill set even though my organisational skills are a coping mechanism for my dyslexia, the list goes on but those are the crushing highlights. I have no family members who who work in the legal world and every step I have taken I have done on my own.
The Suits episode where Rachel got her LSAT exams but didn't get into Harvard broke my heart, truly. I sobbed and sobbed because I was also Rachel the Paralegal. Meghan Markle played this part beautifully.
I admire her for so many there things as well, her charity work, her elegant style, her love of food and travel, the fact that her name is actually Rachel, she's a calligrapher like me. Its quite a long list; shes a very inspriational person.
23rd March 2018
She was in Belfast as part of the Royal tour before her wedding in May and I GOT TO MEET HER <3.
The rumours were circulating that they would be in NI on Friday, so I came into work extra early on Friday just in case so that if they were in Belfast I could take an extended lunch (I had discussed this with my awesome boss who thought it was hilarious and amazing) and as soon as it was confirmed that they were having lunch at the Crown Bar on Great Victoria Street I headed round and got a space at the front of the railings where I stood for 2 hours in the rain to see her.
It was amazing, I genuinely didn't think that I would get to see her never mind talk to her and tell her my story and tell her how much I love her. She greeted everyone with a smile and a handshake but I was the first person she stopped with and had a chat which went a little like this:
M: Whats your name?
R: Rachael
M: Hi Rachael, I'm Meghan
R: I know, I absolutely adore you, you are such an inspiration to me. I'm a corporate solicitor but it look me a long time to qualify so I was Rachael the Paralegal too and I just love you so much...
or something to that effect. I just gushed at her and told her how much I loved her twice. She told me thank you, well done and that she was so happy that I was happy <3 She asked me about my job and if I enjoyed it and what type of law I did.
My beautiful friend Erinn is a journalist covering the Royal visit and she noticed I was talking to my hero and sent me these amazing photos that I will cherish forever <3
They say never meet your heroes but I'm so so happy and thankful that I got to meet mine as she was just beautiful and graceful and amazing and it was the best.
