Amiel Nubaha’s path to the legal profession has not been an easy one. After fleeing Rwanda’s civil war and genocide with his family in 1994, he spent several of his formative years in a refugee camp before migrating to Australia with his family as a teen.
But rather than shy away from the challenges of his childhood, Nubaha resolved early on to channel his experiences into work that allows him to serve others.
He already had a broad interest in the areas of restorative justice, reconciliation, and conflict resolution, but it was when he landed in the class of Dr Shahram Dana at Griffith University that he was inspired to draw on his own lived experience to pursue a career in advocacy for displaced and marginalised people.
“I was [asking myself], ‘How can I be a changemaker within myself, [for] those around me, as well as our entire community?’,” Nubaha says. “I was driven by the need to do something and the need to be a role model … and provide hope, especially for communities that have experienced some of the things I have gone through.”
Connection beyond the classroom
Nubaha and Dana initially had a teacher-student relationship, but a stronger connection was sparked by a mutual understanding of what it means to be displaced.
Dana fled from persecution in his native Iran as a child. He was raised in Queensland before migrating with his family to the US, where he attended high school and university. Harbouring similar motivations to Nubaha, he originally trained as a journalist in a bid to help others understand the immense challenges of persecuted peoples, before attending law school.
After a brief stint in corporate law, he followed his passion for social justice and human rights to the UN war crimes tribunal and, later, academia. His research and teaching at Griffith University focuses on atrocity crimes, international criminal justice, international law, and transitional justice. When he met Nubaha, he was working with the Rwandan community in Queensland.
Nubaha was often the first to Dana’s class and the last to leave. Griffith places immense value on these kinds of connections and actively encourages students to seek out staff who can help prepare them for life beyond the classroom. Nubaha and Dana quickly established a mentoring relationship that has proved invaluable for them both.
Nubaha says: “A lot of us have dreams and aspirations, but it [takes on] a different meaning when you have mentors and professors who believe you can achieve [them]. Through [Dana], I can be very honest in saying that my purpose started to become clear.”
Dana says that, when it comes to mentoring his students, the journey is the reward: “You do it for the love of what you do and to see an individual hit his stride; to see him develop his talents and, in some cases, exceed what you could even picture. That is the reward.”
Teaching for life
Dana says he realised early on that what Nubaha needed from him extended far beyond coursework – he calls him an “outstanding, brilliant student” who could have done “any job he wanted” – so he tried to provide guidance that helped him get a sense of the bigger picture.
“I think, at times, he felt he was carrying this burden of his own past experience,” Dana says. “And sometimes I think it weighed heavily on him. I remember saying, ‘Actually, that’s what’s going to drive you. That’s what you should wear as a badge of honour’.”
This macro approach reflects much of the guidance Dana provides to his students. He encourages students to reflect back on their values and aspirations when recommending certain legal pathways or specific subjects, and appreciates the freedom and support he receives from Griffith in doing so.
“[It’s about helping] students find their voice [and] what they’re passionate about and [giving them] the tools to be able to contribute to making the lives of other people better,” he says.
And while Dana sees Nubaha as a special kind of talent, the admiration flows both ways.
Nubaha says: “It’s very rare that you find people who are … passionate and eager to pass on their knowledge to others.”
From student to colleague
Nubaha graduated with a double degree in law and criminology and criminal justice in 2019. He is currently working as a Restorative Justice Convenor and has recently received National Accreditation in Mediation. A recent recipient of the Jack Cranstoun Scholarship, Amiel is also a Principal Consultant at Comprehensive Mediation Services where he fosters reconciliation and peace, notably for marginalised communities. He says Dr Dana’s guidance helped him forge his path for himself.
“I’m really proud that the job I do now allows me to put in practice the themes of the concepts that I have [learned] from him,” Nubaha says. “It allows me to also give back.”
Dana says he’s proud of how far Nubaha has come. “We’re now colleagues in the same profession,” he says. “We’re peers.”
Dr Sharam Dana says that when it comes to mentoring his students, the journey is the reward: “You do it for the love of what you do and to see an individual hit his stride.”
Both agree that their time at the university fostered a space for these kinds of networks to flourish.
“That’s what makes Griffith special and unique in some ways,” Dana says. “The staff really care about the students [and want] to help them achieve their ambitions.”
Find out what you can study and who is there to guide you at Griffith University.
