During the summer, I had the incredible privilege of being one of eight legal interns with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project. Esperanza is an incredible organization that serves the undocumented community with legal proceedings free of charge. This summer I worked specifically with the direct representation team. This means I was able to have direct interaction with attorneys and the clients they represented during their legal proceedings. I was to complete tasks such as translation services during client-attorney meetings, review documents and applications with clients in Spanish, attend hearings, coordinate file pick up, and more. I was also given the opportunity to attend an all-day training that focuses specifically on one of the most common forms of relief that unaccompanied minors apply for. This training was incredibly helpful as it assisted me in learning much more on such an important process. I was then able to apply my learnings throughout the rest of my time with Esperanza. I was able to create meaningful connections with attorneys and paralegals who were able to give me continuous support while working in a field that is so difficult. I am eternally grateful to this organization for playing such a major role in my decision to pursue a career in immigration law. I took home with me the importance of finding the "micro-wins" every day in order to withstand such a difficult field. I will never forget the mentorship that I was given and how hard working every single individual in the office was.
Client-Centered Immigration Advocacy with a Non-Profit Immigration Firm
Welcome to a more in-depth description of my incredible summer experience with one of the leading immigration-focused public interest organizations in the country!