Disposition is a convergent journalism project initiated by Chelsea Perry. It aims to provide the UPEI international community with a platform to share their stories, and break down the divisive mentality of “us versus them.†The series will be updated on a weekly basis at The Cadre. To take part in Disposition, email cperry2@upei.ca, or text 902-432-4821.
Joana Asante Annor is from Accra, Ghana. She is pursuing a BA in political science.
“Both of my parents are entrepreneurs. Growing up, I had a wild mind when it came to my career choice. My parents are really encouraging, saying I can do anything I want to do. I eventually narrowed it down to law, though I didn’t have a knack for it growing up. I used to watch Suits, and loved watching everyone strut around in their fancy suits using all the legal terminology. It fascinated me. One of my uncles back in Ghana is a justice on the Supreme Court. He noticed that I was enthralled with the show and was like, “Hey Joana, I see you’re enjoying this, but you know this is television, right?†And I laughed at that, because of course I knew. But it does make the legal world seem glamorous, when in reality, it’s not.â€
“Back when I was in GIMPA, the law school I was in for a semester, we visited prisons and got to chat with some of the inmates. There are a lot of people that have been wrongly convicted. Some are in there for trivial matters, and some of them are completely innocent.â€
“There are a lot of lawyers that are in it for the money. And of course, who doesn’t love money? But I’d like to do something good for people. In Ghana, there are not enough human rights lawyers. And that’s what I want to do: international human rights law. I want to stay in Canada for a  while, but eventually I’ll take my work back home to Ghana. I know there is a world out there waiting for me to leave my mark.â€