An energy vibrates around her small frame as Gona Chalak hurries off to the district court in Sollentuna after our meeting. She works for a law firm in Örebro, but her job as a public defence counsel takes her to many district courts around the country, so travel is part of her normal work day.
Her Kurdish parents travelled a far longer distance some 35 years ago when they fled to Sweden from Iraq, where her father had fought as a guerilla soldier against Saddam Hussein’s regime. Gona was born in Karlstad but her family moved to Vivalla in Örebro when she was six years old. It has been classed by the Swedish police as a particularly vulnerable area, in other words a neighbourhood with a low socio-economic status where criminals influence the local community. She herself describes her upbringing in the area as being safe; residents helped each other, and neighbours were seen as part of an extended family.
“At the same time, I saw when my friends, often the boys, would be stopped by the police because of their appearance, without having done anything wrong. I felt that this was a complete injustice and it fuelled my desire to work to counter segregation,” says Gona.
Being seen changed her opinion of school
She went to Vivalla school for her primary and lower-secondary school years, but when it was time for her to start year seven, her father, who was afraid that she would end up in the wrong circles, wanted her to start at IES Örebro.
“I was pretty disengaged in school myself, and at first I thought all the IES rules were a hassle. I had loads of energy and was a difficult student who was visible and loud. I was easily distracted, felt lost and preferred to muck about in the corridors,” she says.
This all turned around, and Gona’s opinion of school work changed, with the arrival of a new principal at the school.
“Suddenly there was a person who saw and heard me. I felt acknowledged and was encouraged to channel my energy into my school work. In years eight and nine, I worked intensively to get good grades and was supported by my teachers. By the time I graduated from secondary school, I had received the award for “most improved” several times. Then when I started upper secondary school, I felt that I had a head-start compared to my classmates,” she says.
Wants to inspire young adults to work hard
Successful upper-secondary education led to a scholarship and Gona was accepted to study law at Örebro University. After an exchange year in Canada she passed the Master of Laws degree at the age of 23. Three years later, 26-year-old Gona was admitted to the Swedish Bar Association (Advokatsamfundet) as one of the youngest lawyers in Sweden. In parallel with her studies she has provided homework support and held lectures for school students.
“I want to stimulate children and young adults to see opportunities and not feel defined by their background. I’ve had to fight to get where I am today, but it really has been worth it. Today I have a stimulating job as a defence lawyer – and I’m proud of myself as there aren’t too many young female lawyers with an immigrant background.
“The positive view of school and education that I received during my years at IES Örebro were crucial for me to learn how to channel my energy constructively. I now want to inspire others to work hard to realise their dreams,” she says.