A new lawyer called to the Bar almost had to pull out of her law degree in England due to an eye problem.

Alsha Wilson was told by an optometrist in England to take time out from her LL.B studies at the University of Kent — but decided to press on despite developing a problem that led to severe headaches and difficulty in seeing print and even lecture theatre boards with one of her eyes.

Ms Wilson, 29, told Supreme Court when she was called last Friday: “I had come so far already and the doctor was telling me to stop school and put off my goal.

“It felt as if my goal was slipping through my fingers. Of course, I started to worry about not finishing and what I was going to do, how I was going to explain it to my parents and all of their investment in my schooling.

“This was crushing news to me. I kept it to myself and after taking days to think about putting my dream on hold and praying about it, I remembered something my mom had always told me: ‘Don’t let anyone tell you cannot do something. You are my child and you can do anything that you set your mind to.’”

Ms Wilson, the daughter of Canada-based Bermudian Salvation Army officers, said her faith helped her through the crisis and she recovered and finished her studies.

Ms Wilson was introduced in Supreme Court by Juliana Snelling, her pupil master at boutique law firm Canterbury Law, run by Ms Snelling and Paul Harshaw.

She said: “I would like to thank Ms Snelling and Mr Harshaw for providing me with the opportunity to complete my pupillage at Canterbury Law — it’s been a very rewarding experience.

“Civil litigation is a fast-paced environment. No two days during my pupillage have been the same and every day I wake up wondering what new challenge was coming my way.”

She added: “Ms Snelling has been a great pupil master, imparting knowledge to me constantly. She has included me in all aspects of the practice and the running of the firm right from the start.”

Introducing Ms Wilson in Supreme Court last Friday, Ms Snelling said that Ms Wilson, like many graduates in the recession, had difficulty getting a pupillage and worked at Colonial Insurance for 18 months, while she pursued her dream.

Ms Snelling told Supreme Court: “Alsha has proved that she has the drive to do what it takes to be a successful lawyer. Most impressively, she has the legal acumen of being able to home in precisely on the relevant point in a case authority or text book in a way that many acting lawyers cannot.

“She has the work ethic and the drive and determination to put in the required hours. She has the ability to smile when work is piled upon top of other work that needs to be done yesterday.”

Ms Wilson was born in Bermuda after parents Alfred and Sharon, both Majors in the Salvation Army, returned to the island from Canada so she could spend her first years on the Island.

She moved back to Canada with her family at the age of five and attended Brockville Collegiate Institute, graduating in 2003.

She has also played the piano since the age of five and was enrolled in the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto for six years.

She went on to Carleton University in Ottawa, graduating with a BA in Law, before going to the University of Kent, leaving in 2010 to spend a further year at London’s College of Law, where she passed the postgraduate legal practice course.