Friends and family members packed Supreme Court One recently to watch as Travis Lerone Herbert Gilbert, who was described as an "outstanding young role model'', was admitted as the newest member of the Bermuda Bar.

Mr. Gilbert, who has been accepted as an associate at Appleby Spurling & Kempe in the securities department, emphasised that his achievements were the result of a community effort.

"Like many Bermudians, I have felt the unyielding support of my community,'' said Mr. Gilbert. "I am a product of my community.'' Mr. Gilbert's sister Lorianne Alhassan, who is a corporate lawyer at Milligan-Whyte and Smith, made the application on his behalf.

She thanked the partners at AS&K for deviating from protocol and allowing her as an external lawyer to appear for her "little brother Travy''.

Mrs. Alhassan said her brother had an "exceedingly developed social conscience'', and cited his involvement with the Venturilla Foundation and his time spent tutoring law at the Westgate Correctional Facility.

"Travis has lived a life in defiance of what people have said his limits should be and has consistently pushed back the boundaries in pursuit of his goals,'' she said.

Mr. Gilbert used the courtroom as a metaphor for Bermudian society, and gave credit to those who came before him.

He mentioned the hard work of electricians and masons who invested "their arms, their legs, their backs'' to build the courtroom structure as well as "the great legal minds who inhabited this space as inscribers of our social memory''.

"I think about how often we enter this room and fail to contemplate and view in reverence the craftsmanship of these men and women,'' he said.

Mr. Gilbert received his Bachelor's in business administration from Howard University before earning his law degree from the University of Kent at Canterbury.

He then studied for his legal practice course at the College of Law, Guildford in Surrey and returned to Bermuda to complete his pupilage at AS&K.

Addressing Chief Justice Austin Ward, Mr. Gilbert thanked his parents, Travis and Lorene Gilbert, for their inspiration.

Mr. Gilbert said his mother was his "dragon slayer'', noting that she taught him "that in order to live a fulfilling life, we must face the things that haunt us -- we must duel with our fears and win''.

And he said of his father that "a boy will never become a man if he does not see a man -- if I ever fail in this pursuit, I will only have myself to blame''.

Referring to his sister, Mr. Gilbert said she was a "lighthouse'' for him, offering "perspective and clear voyage''.

"Lori, thanks for the peer pressure -- your life has preached a good sermon,'' he added.

Mr. Gilbert thanked colleagues at AS&K, including pupil masters Tonesan Amissah-Furbert and Warren Cabral.

Crown counsel Khamisi Tokunbo appeared on behalf of the Attorney General's Chambers and John Riihiluoma, a partner at AS&K, seconded the motion to admit Mr. Gilbert to the Bar on behalf of the firm.

Crown counsel Leighton Rochester appeared on behalf of the Department of Public Prosecutions, and read from "The Fires of Pembroke'' about the contrast between many young Bermudians who are bending beneath adversities and compared it to the example that Mr. Gilbert set.