My testimonial could be just one sentence long: Gabrielle Marceau has significantly influenced the course of my career. Since this piece appears in an academic journal, I am compelled to substantiate this assertion. Below, I attempt to explain what is, for me, an indisputable fact.

I met Gabrielle Marceau in January 2014, when I was a student in the Master’s in Law and Economics (MILE) programme at the World Trade Institute in Bern, Switzerland. She and Lothar Ehring co-taught the introductory module on World Trade Organization (WTO) law—the principle of non-discrimination. As a lawyer, I was eager to dive into the legal portion of our interdisciplinary programme after several months of blissful immersion in economics and political science. However, I was unprepared for the initial disorientation. I vividly remember sitting in class, frantically taking notes, while trying to keep up with the fast-paced explanations and perplexing case law analysis. The result was humbling: a C on the first 24-hour law exam. It was the only C I received during the programme—but it left me frustrated, disappointed, angry, and ashamed.

A few months later, I was faced with the decision to choose my Master’s thesis supervisor. At that point, I had a few good grades behind me and lecturers, whom I had impressed, who would have readily agreed to supervise my paper. Still, I was determined to work with Gabrielle. My topic focused on South Africa’s proposed limitations on foreign investment in domestic security services. It was a classical non-discrimination case, so it made sense to work with her. Many of my classmates thought I was mad to ask her because of her reputation as a tough marker. But I was convinced that to be the best, you must work with the best. I spent a week drafting the email. She replied, asking what grade I had received in her class. I answered truthfully—and to my astonishment, she agreed.

Gabrielle’s supervision of my Master’s thesis was a six-month academic rite of passage. It also marked the beginning of an incredibly edifying relationship. Gabrielle was a demanding supervisor—precise, uncompromising, and rigorous—but also fair, responsive, and generous with her time and knowledge, The period during which I wrote my Master’s thesis was one of great upheaval in my life. After the MILE, I moved to Germany, my husband’s homeland, where I juggled my academic project, a demoralising job search, and social integration. Six weeks before my thesis was due, my laptop was stolen at a friend’s wedding. I lost all my thesis work. Of course, I had not backed up anything—an error I have never repeated. Despite the setback, I rewrote the thesis and submitted it on 30 October 2014, one day early. Gabrielle awarded my thesis a perfect score and supported its publication in a journal. True to form, she was understated in her praise, but I was astounded. A 100% score from Gabrielle Marceau was no small feat.

Since then, Gabrielle, whom my husband affectionately calls my “Geneva mother”, has been far more than a former supervisor. She has remained a steadfast mentor and advocate. Whether or not she would call herself my mentor is immaterial—I have claimed her as one. In those early days, she never tired of my requests for reference letters for countless job applications. Her consistency and support kept me going. I still believe that she was instrumental in helping me secure my dream job at the Advisory Centre in WTO Law (ACWL) in 2015. I presented a strong application and performed well on the exam, but having the Gabrielle Marceau stamp of approval set me apart from the dozens of other candidates.

Even after I joined the ACWL, Gabrielle continued to challenge me and hold open doors for me. She believed that I had earned my place as a trade lawyer, which prompted me to challenge my insecurities and trepidations. One moment stands out: in November 2019, she invited me to participate in what became a very well-attended panel discussion on the Appellate Body crisis at the Graduate Institute in Geneva. I shared the stage with trade luminaries, including Professor Joost Pauwelyn, Scott Andersen, Claudia Orozco, and Judge David Unterhalter. I remember sitting on the stage, still a relatively junior lawyer at the time, thinking to myself: what am I doing here? However, it would have never entered her mind that I did not belong on that stage.

For me, a Black African woman often navigating elite international spaces, the power of mentorship has been revolutionary. It has been more than the usual professional guidance—it has often been the first affirmation that I belong in spaces where people like me rarely frequent. In Gabrielle (and others), I found a champion, someone whose endorsement of me smoothed paths and opened ears. Her unassuming confidence in me has pushed me to lend my voice where I might otherwise have gone unheard, often in spaces where I am the only one with my background. Her brand of mentorship is rare—never hierarchical, boastful, or demanding of gratitude, but a quiet affirmation that I deserved to and should be heard and seen. That kind of mentorship is not loud or performative—it is steady, consistent, and transformative. It leaves an imprint, not just on a career, but on a person’s sense of what is possible and what they are capable of.

Over the past eleven years, I have been fortunate to witness Gabrielle’s brilliance and unwavering commitment to WTO law. To build a career during a time when one of the giants of this field is a woman—fearless, prolific, and unapologetic—has been a profound privilege. I will always be grateful to be one of the many impacted by her scholarship and industry. However, I will miss seeing her at the WTO. Her office was an oasis for me. Her first question was always, “What can I do for you?”—and even when I said, “Nothing, I’m fine,” she would somehow find a way to encourage me to say “yes” when I was primed to say “no”. We are very different in temperament, but she has played a crucial role in helping me find the courage to take up space in this profession. After all, if Gabrielle Marceau believes in me, who am I to doubt myself?

Gabrielle has set the bar very high. She is one in a million, and it will take an army to attempt to replicate her achievements. There are many more energetic than I who will take the baton and strive to clinch her other accolades. However, I have nominated myself, on my little patch of grass, to be a Gabrielle Marceau to the next few Kholofelo Kuglers.