And while it's a rare thing indeed for a Belizean to count themself members of the British Empire, it may be even rarer for a Belizean woman to become a Supreme court justice.
But that's the role that Belizean attorney Lisa Shoman, a woman who has played a multitude of important roles throughout her life, has taken up in the last year.
And this morning - to commemorate International Day Of Women Judges - she appeared on SUNUP on 7, it was to discuss her ascent to the bench and the importance of other women taking up the role. She explained to our hosts why the judiciary needs to count women among its ranks:
Shoman also told us that she was only the 7th Belizean woman to ever be called to the bar, the 5th was Minister of Human development Dolores Balderamos Garcia.
