Fayola K J Fraser
“She does talk good!”
Growing up in Trinidad surrounded by repetitions of this phrase meant
that not only were adults impressed with your skilful command of the spoken word, but you were bound to use those skills as a lawyer in the future.
Ayana Wellington Pitterson, born and raised in San Fernando until the age of 12, was used to hearing those words and, indeed, found love early on for commanding a room with her ability to orate well beyond her years. Currently a Commander and a Judge Advocate General in the US Navy, she has fulfilled her dreams of pursuing law and persevering through a challenging and competitive journey.
In her years at San Fernando Methodist Primary School, Pitterson remembers excelling in poetry and choral speaking competitions, carving a niche of excellence for herself from early on. When her mother came to her, the eldest of six siblings, with the news that they would be migrating to the United States, Pitterson remembers feeling woefully disappointed, as she already had big dreams of attending Naparima Girls’ High School. Nonetheless, her family moved to the Bronx, and she settled in, staying the course and performing well in school. Pitterson recalled the early difficulty of going to a new country and a new school, where she sounded different from the other children. “Since I had an accent, everyone would laugh at me at first,” she said, but, armed with the innate confidence of an orator, she says that “once I felt confident enough to speak, people automatically listened.” It was this ability to be commanding, persuasive, and powerful with words that served her well at age 13 and continued to be the backbone of her career over 30 years later.
After being accepted to an Ivy League school, one of the top performing colleges in the US—Barnard College—Pitterson continued her charge towards becoming an attorney. When she took a year to work as a paralegal in a top law firm in New York City after attending Barnard, it became clear to her that although she loved law, she did not ever want to practice corporate law. “Besides the fact that corporate law was so boring,” she says, “I knew I wanted to actually help people, not just help businesses.”
While attending Hofstra University to do her law degree, she learned about Judge Advocate Generals (JAGs) in the US Navy. A JAG provides authoritative and timely legal counsel in the areas of national security law, military justice, administrative law, and sailor and family legal support. The nature of this field appealed to Pitterson’s deep desire to serve, and she applied to and entered the JAG Corps upon completing law school.
At present, she has served in the JAG Corps for 18 years and has lived in four states throughout her career. Although being constantly on the move hasn’t been easy, especially with her family, Pitterson reflected on how the job has given her a unique perspective on life.
“Being in this job has allowed me to have an open mind, and not be afraid of change,” she says, and although she is now potentially nearing retirement, she insisted that her home is not in any particular place but with her loved ones. Pitterson believes that life does not hinge upon where you plant your feet over time, and developing personal attributes of flexibility, adaptability, and resilience are some of the greatest gifts this career has given her.
If one thing is for certain, Pitterson has never forgotten her deep Trini roots and credits her success to her Trini upbringing. “Trinidad is where my skills come from,” she says, remembering the way her teachers in school pushed her to stand on her feet and develop her capability in oral advocacy and the way her mother pushed her to work hard.
Imprinted in her psyche is her upbringing in T&T, which fostered lifelong lessons and skills. “I was raised learning how to respect others, commit to academic excellence, and prove my abilities,” she says, as she is never one to shy away from life’s challenges. Raising her children with many of the same skills she was raised with, she is almost tickled by their chagrin when they bring home a “B” grade.
As a Commander 05 in the US Navy, she has faced many unique challenges operating at a high level in a male-dominated environment. “It can be lonesome when you’re the minority,” she says, “as one of few women in my rank and one of even fewer Black women.”
Pitterson said that although she has been honoured and overjoyed to climb the ranks, there are few women and people of colour to mentor her and empathise with her challenges. Never one to sit idly in her troubles, she has made an active effort to remedy this situation. She volunteers for committees to ensure diverse recruitment and retention of minorities and women of colour, and she always has an outstretched hand to mentor junior JAGs. She also remains active in speaking up on issues that affect women and Black people and ensures she is part of discussions and decision-making. “I continue to make community in my profession, versus it being simply a solo effort,” she says.
As she serves in the US Navy, she remains a Trini through and through, salivating at the thought of a chicken roti “with nice big pieces of potato,” and a “bake and shark at Maracas.” Pitterson is now an adviser to warfare commanders, providing crucial legal advice on various matters, from administrative law, to operative law, allowing them to come to the best possible decisions.
Her advice to other women who are seeking to passionately pursue the things they have always wanted is simple–competence. She encourages women to strive for excellence in their careers, as “success comes from competence because people respect you when they know you’re good at what you do and good at learning your craft.” Commander Ayana Pitterson is a Trini woman making a huge impact abroad, as her prowess in the US Navy as a Judge Advocate General is a milestone of which we can all be enormously proud.
