Ashimedua and Jess, Herstory & AkiDwA (Ireland) and more art by Philip Doyle

Born and raised in Nigeria, Ashimedua Okonkwo followed love to Ireland in 2000 and with minimal resources, set up her own law firm. She also threw herself into community involvement and is a board member on both the National Women’s Council of Ireland and the Louth-Meath Enterprise Training Board where she is proud to be a representative voice for migrants. Jess grew up in Ireland and first moved abroad to find work after graduating at the beginning of the recession. She lived and worked in Australia, the Netherlands, the UK and Denmark before returning to Ireland to train as a solicitor. After years of travelling back and forth to Amsterdam, she rejoined her partner in the Netherlands and started a new chapter in her legal career.