If You Believe It, You Can Achieve It

By Farah Jamal Karmali, Law Clerk and Paralegal Professor

There are some students that you remember long past the days spent in your classroom, because of something that shines through them and makes you pause and reflect. Saijack Zhu is one of those students. He was a student in my Contract and Tort Law (BCTA 101) class in 2016 and has continually impressed me since I first met him. His story is both inspirational and instructive to others striving to achieve their goals.

Saijack was born and raised in a small city in China, and came to Canada as an international student in 2010. His first job was as a packager in a noodle production factory during the summer of 2011. He enrolled in the Aircraft Maintenance program at Canadore College and graduated in 2011. In 2013, he was waiting tables at a restaurant when two regular customers offered him a position as a law clerk at a real estate law firm. He worked there from 2013 to 2016, and in the meantime, obtained his real estate license in 2015. Eventually, Saijack developed a successful real estate business, while continuing to work part-time at the law firm. Saijack’s passion for law and justice, something that had always been brewing under the surface, motivated him to enrol in the Paralegal Diploma Program at Humber in 2016.

Saijack muses that his initial motivation to start the program was that his boss at the law firm agreed to give him a two-dollar-per-hour raise if he obtained his paralegal license. His true motivation came from a deep sense of unhappiness with his current situation, and a strong desire to achieve more, and to be a part of the legal system in a way that he would find more meaningful.

“My struggle to make change is not unique among immigrants. Racialized immigrants are often placed in a box, made to believe that they don’t deserve to pursue their academic or professional dreams. But the stereotypes of who we ‘should be’ are just excuses to hold us back from working towards our goals. To challenge this belief, I wanted my academic path to reflect my determination. I wanted to show that I am qualified to follow in the footsteps of my mentors, Deputy Judge/Professor Farah Jamal Karmali and Martin H. Herman, and pursue a law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School.”

So Saijack did just that. He graduated from the Paralegal Diploma program at Humber Polytechnic with Honours in 2017, and started the Bachelor of Arts, Business and Society program (BUSO) at York University in the same year. Saijack graduated cum laude in 2020 – and set his sights on law school. He was admitted to the Juris Doctor program at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2022 and graduated in the spring of 2025. Saijack continued his paralegal practice and real estate business throughout university, and also worked part-time at Martin M. Herman’s law office during law school. He is currently articling with Mr.  Herman, a criminal defence lawyer, and continues to work in real estate. He is also the founder of Horizon Legal Services Professional Corporation, and is engaged to the love of his life – ready to start a new life in many different ways. It has not been an easy journey, but one that has been incredibly rewarding.

As Saijack learned, “[m]any of us think that other people’s achievements are unreachable because of the families they come from or the opportunities they had. While these factors matter, I met many people who came from nothing and still built extraordinary paths through resilience and hard work.” When Saijack doubts himself, he thinks of his mentor and articling principal, Martin Herman, who shared with him that successful lawyers are not necessarily special – but they are very hard workers.

What are Saijack’s key learnings throughout his educational journey, as he stands on the launching pad of his career as a criminal lawyer?

“[They] may sound like cliches, but the older I get, the more I live by them:

1. There are no shortcuts in life: good things are never easy, and easy things never last.
2. Take the small things seriously – something as simple as being kind to others.
3. Be brave enough to embrace change

… It may sound simple, but when you start to believe in yourself and are willing to put in the work, things can happen. Trust me.”

So proud to have been a small part in Saijack’s journey. The best – no doubt – is yet to come.

Professor Farah Jamal Karmali

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