Profile of The Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, is the seventh and current Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. She was sworn in as Prime Minister on May 26, 2010 and is the country's first female Prime Minister. Persad-Bissessar is the political leader of the United National Congress and leads the People's Partnership, a coalition of five parties, formed for the general election of 24 May 2010.

Her Journey – An experience of ‘Firsts’

Education

As a young girl growing up in a rural community in Trinidad and Tobago, Persad-Bissessar’s mother encouraged her to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom at a time in Trinidad and Tobago when the pervading cultural norms relegated women and girls to the home. While studying at Norwood Technical College in England, she worked as a social worker with the Church of England Children’s Society of London. On her return to the Caribbean, she went on to teach at the University of the West Indies campuses in Jamaica and Trinidad.

It was her experiences of racial discrimination and social inequity of minority women in England, and the black power movement raging through the Caribbean that inspired her to pursue a career in law, as her life’s mission had then become achieving social justice and equality for all.

Persad-Bissessar went on to pursue her law degree at the Hugh Wooding Law School where she was awarded a B.A. (Hons.), a Diploma in Education, a B.A. of Laws (Hons.) and a Legal Education Certificate. After lecturing for a total of six years, Persad-Bissessar then became a full-time Attorney-at-Law.

In 2006, she obtained an Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, Trinidad.