Ledricka Thierry said that doing her best was never enough she always had to go a step above her best efforts.
"When I graduated college, I finished in three years, I looked at him and said, "Dad, Are you proud?" He said, "no I'm not proud right now. You're not done." I was 20 years old at that time," Thierry said.
At the age of 17, while she helped children cross the street, the unthinkable happened.
Thierry was hit by a bus.
"I'm looking at myself and I'm a pedestrian and I made it. It does something to you. It really let me know that god had a meaning and purpose for my life."
That accident changed her life.
"Any way that I can provide service or give back to my community I've always been the person to do that. Even in my younger years."
Thierry went on to graduate high school, attend Southern University, and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with a concentration in English. She eventually went on to law school and opened up her own practice that focused on helping those with an injury.
Thierry said that being a personal injury attorney was not the only thing she could do to help others. She proved that by running for and winning Louisiana House District 40. She was the first woman to win the seat.
"I recognize that I'm the first, but it's more important for me not to be the only."
Today, Thierry sits on the bench as a judge for the 27th Judicial District Court. It was a lifelong dream come true for Thierry.
While it is something, Thierry said, to be the first woman to be in this position, it is not why she ran. She wanted to continue full-filling that promise that she made to herself all of those years ago to protect others.
"I think, at the end, I would like to be able to look back and be proud of the work that I've done. Right now, I know there is a lot of work left to do and I'm just getting started."
While we focus on Thierry's professional accomplishments, as amazing as they are, we have to also remember that she is first and foremost a wife and mother.
Those are two roles, she said, that have made her who she is today.
"You make sure you have that balance. I'm that person, if my child has something that comes up it will take priority over anything else that I'm doing. I make sure that I'm there for all of the important memories and things that they'll remember in their childhood."
Whether Thierry is on the bench or at home with her family, she said she will always fight for what is right.
