McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett, 21, is a dynamic leader, advocate, and soon-to-be Bachelor of Laws graduate from the University of Bristol. A former Head Girl at Warwick Academy, McKenzie-Kohl is a skilled public speaker and debater, who has represented Bermuda on the international stage since her first overseas competition in 2017. Notably, in 2021, she placed 15th overall in the World Individual Debate and Public Speaking Championships. That same year, she won the University of Bristol Law Society’s First Year Debate Championships. While her competitive public speaking career is one to be proud of, she etched her name into Bermuda’s history books as the first Bermudian to deliver an address in the UK House of Commons, in November 2022. Nominated by Bermuda’s Speaker of the House, McKenzie-Kohl’s speech highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for the island’s young people, especially post-tertiary education. As a former Youth Premier of Bermuda’s Youth Parliament, and a current member of the National Youth Policy Working Group, this was an example of McKenzie-Kohl’s advocacy for Bermuda’s young people on the global stage. McKenzie-Kohl is also an Assistant Director of Future Leaders Bermuda, an organisation dedicated to equipping young leaders with the skills necessary to make a positive impact in Bermuda and the world. McKenzie-Kohl believes in using one’s voice to empower. As a member of the WeSpeak Teen Committee, she contributes to this vision, encouraging young women to use their voices to inspire confidence.
As a Bermuda Government Scholarship recipient and Walkers Legal Scholarship Award recipient, McKenzie-Kohl’s academic success is matched by real-world experience. Studying at the University of Bristol, ranked in the top 10 in the UK, she has taken advantage of countless opportunities. In addition to serving as a Student Advisor in the university’s Law Clinic, in 2023, she was the recipient of the International Internship Scholar Award for her summer legal internship at leading law firm Global Vietnam Lawyers, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. She was also selected to study abroad for her penultimate year at the University of Hong Kong, ranked #2 in Asia. Upon receiving the highest graded research paper in the LLM course, ‘Equality and Non-Discrimination,’ McKenzie-Kohl was invited to participate in a mini pupillage at Pantheon Chambers in Hong Kong. McKenzie-Kohl Tuckett isn’t just preparing for the future, she’s shaping it. She eagerly anticipates returning to the island, where she will begin her legal career with Walkers (Bermuda) Limited. As concluded in her speech in the House of Commons, she aims to support the creation of an opportunity-rich island, “to ensure that Bermuda’s youth can call home, home.”
