42-year-old mom says painful divorce led to ‘beautiful’ moment of U of S law school graduation

As friends and family watched her collect her law degree from the University of Saskatchewan on Wednesday, Saba Ahmad knew she was doing more than just crossing a stage for a diploma. 

She had crossed one hurdle after another, from the strain of a traumatic divorce to deciding to travel back and forth between Alberta and Saskatchewan to get her law degree, while raising three kids, two of whom have Type 1 diabetes. 

“My heart is full and I’m just very, very grateful for God, for the universe, for my parents and my family,” the 42-year-old mother said, her voice choked with emotion. 

“I actually didn’t realize the strength that I had.” 

WATCH | ‘Go mom!’: This woman’s divorce prompted her to go to law school: 

‘Go mom!’: This woman’s divorce prompted her to go to law school

A lawyer laughed when Saba Ahmad, during her divorce, expressed her desire to go to law school. At that time, she decided to prove she could do it. Now, the 42-year-old has convocated from the University of Saskatchewan law school, after travelling back and forth between Edmonton and Saskatoon for her studies.

Divorce led to interest in law

Ahmad got married at the age of 20, in the midst of conversations with her parents about arranged marriage. The pressure to get married was common among families like hers in the ’80s and ’90s when fewer South Asians lived in Saskatchewan, she said. 

“There was this real priority given to preserving our culture, and a way to do that was through marriage.” 

Over the next 14 years of their marriage, the couple would have three children and build a successful orthodontic business, but she felt as if the success led to a shift in her partner’s priorities and a disintegration in their relationship. 

Contemplating divorce, however, was a huge stumbling block in her mind.

“I find that oftentimes for South Asian women, the bare minimum standard is as long as he provides for you financially, there’s no reason to leave,” she said. 

“I was very, very scared. But somehow I managed to gather the courage. I thought about my boys and I really didn’t want them growing up thinking that women should be treated disrespectfully.”

Her search for legal representation wasn’t rewarding.

“The legal field is a very white, male-dominated field,” she said, adding that she continually ran into conversations with lawyers who didn’t understand the stigma associated with divorce in South Asian communities. 

“It was really hard for them to really understand and empathize with my situation, which is exactly what invigorated and propelled my desire to pursue a career in law.”

A cross-border law school experience

Ahmad said she faced doubts about her career plans, particularly when she expressed her interest in pursuing law in front of her husband’s legal counsel. 

“She just kind of laughed at me. She was like, ‘Law, Do you know how hard it is to get into law?'” Ahmad recalled. “And in that moment, I was like, watch me.” 

Ahmad would end up getting accepted to the University of Saskatchewan, travelling back and forth bi-weekly between Edmonton and Saskatoon through icy winter conditions and summer heat, while her youngest sister helped care for her sons when she was out of town.

“It was really, really hard,” Ahmad said, adding it was particularly difficult worrying about her kids’ health and management of their diabetes. “But I knew it was worth it, and I knew that there was a bigger purpose for this and that I had to just push through.”

Ahmad’s father said he originally worried for his daughter when she was going through her divorce, but was glad to see she found her own way through to graduation. Najm Syed Ahmad said he hopes his daughter’s story may inspire other young women to seek their own path in life. 

“I (am) also proud that today I can say that I am the father of a lawyer — Saba.” 

For Ahmad, to be a lawyer is a privilege in helping people find justice, and she’s filled with gratitude for the circumstances, painful as they were, that brought her to this week’s graduation.

“A very difficult situation has led to such a beautiful path,” she said. 

“I had to go through that to discover myself and discover my passion and purpose for being on this earth, which is to help people go through what I went through.”