If you think the name Bronwen Dromey is one of the most unique names you have heard, just wait until you hear her story.
Dromey, a student at BYU Law, has traveled across the world to give service. Her passion for helping others is manifest in what she chose to study at BYU before starting law school: sociology and international development.
During her undergraduate years, she had the opportunity to travel to Thailand, Cambodia, and Uganda doing humanitarian work. While in Cambodia, she worked on a report for the United Nations in which she reported on several women’s issues.
“We talked to women about things from domestic violence to [human] trafficking and even to things like women’s equality in the workplace,” Dromey said, describing her time in Cambodia.
It was in Cambodia that Dromey had an experience that sparked her interest in law school. While working on the U.N. report, Dromey interviewed a woman named Lek who was experiencing domestic violence by her husband.
“She had the courage to go to a judge in Cambodia and to bring some criminal charges against her husband,” Dromey said. Unfortunately, however, Lek’s courageous actions were not accepted in Cambodia. Her husband paid off the judge, all the charges were dropped, and her whole village shamed her.
“As I heard [Lek’s] story, I just felt really frustrated because I wanted to be able to do something. I just felt hurt and upset that all I could do was just write down her story and that was the end of my involvement,” Dromey said.
Dromey voiced her concerns and frustrations about the injustice to an attorney from New York who was also working on the report. This attorney urged her to get a law degree because it would enable her to advocate for people like Lek.
Dromey took the advice, and has since been honing her legal skills at BYU Law. As she looks to the future, Dromey says she hopes to help people, whether it is domestic violence victims or refugees. “I’m interested in anything that allows me to use my legal skills to advocate for someone who doesn’t have the power to advocate for themself,” she said.
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