“Pearson College was the perfect place to come up with basic ideas and to build relationships,” says Miriam. “Whether it was a particular project, or getting a group of people to work together, we had the sense that anything was possible. More often than not, real life is more difficult – but it was a great way to learn and to live.”

 

After graduating from Pearson, Miriam decided to study law, and initially thought she would attend university in Canada. “But I knew I wanted to work in Bolivia after university, and I discovered that in order to be eligible for law work in Bolivia I would have to go to university in Bolivia. So, I returned to La Paz to study law there.”

 

During her final year at university, Miriam got in touch with the Bolivian National Committee, who had selected her, to see if she could be of any help. Gradually becoming more involved in National Committee work, she met a fellow Committee member, also a lawyer, and began working for him.

 

“It was at that point that my career took a more unusual turn,” explains Miriam. The lawyer she was working for became Minister of Justice, and Miriam followed him to the Ministry.

 

“It was Bolivia’s first Ministry of Justice, and even public institutions have a great deal of bureaucracy, so we defined our work a bit independently. In fact, it was a little like working in an NGO, dealing a lot with judicial reform issues. We dealt with criminal justice reforms, as well as civil and commercial reforms. I became the Chief of Office for two years, and through the office I became more and more involved in development work. In particular, I worked with USAID in Bolivia, implementing various development projects in the criminal justice field; and I enjoyed the work so much I decided that rather than fighting in court, this should be my area of work. I took a Masters in Development, and I haven’t practised law since!

 

“My experience with UWC, both at College and with the National Committee, definitely steered me towards development work,” says Miriam. “In my current role with Catholic Relief Services, I find my basic knowledge of the law useful, but I feel I really come into my own when working with people in small communities. I also find working with a group of international colleagues very rewarding – after UWC, I think I would find it difficult to work without that diversity around me.”

 

In fact, Bolivia itself presents a challenge in terms of diversity, with around 30 different cultures in a population of 8 million. “My UWC experience has certainly helped me to deal with different kinds of people in very different environments,” says Miriam, “and since my role involves working on strengthening societal bonds among very different communities, that experience has been invaluable. CRS works mainly on local church-related projects, or on projects with a public agenda, so our work might include leadership and advocacy support as well as peace-building. One of the areas we tackle is migration and people-trafficking, which has recently become a more relevant problem for our society, and for border countries. It’s very rewarding to be working in an area where the possibilities for change are always present.”