My appreciation and understanding of the needs and challenges of border communities is a result of having grown up in them. I understood the border to be a permeable membrane that allowed the influx and exchange of cultures and languages. The impact that my community had on me is what drove me to want to serve the immigrant community when I began law school.

My intent to work in immigration law was cemented after interning for the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. The focus of my work there was assisting detainees who were deemed “incompetent” to represent themselves in their proceedings. I learned firsthand the difference that having attorney made for my clients, who would have otherwise have been lost in a confusing and complicated immigration system. The demand for more attorneys in the field, only drew me more to the work.

A few weeks before beginning my last year of law school, I volunteered at the Dilley Pro Bono Project, helping women who were seeking asylum in The United States. I was initially only going to work as an interpreter for an attorney, but the need for Spanish speakers was larger than expected. I was subsequently asked to interview women on my own. While I was nervous due to my lack of experience interviewing clients, especially regarding traumatic experiences, I quickly got over it after meeting my first client. The courage and dignity that she displayed despite the horrid experiences she had gone through inspired me. To this day, I still draw courage from her story.

I can still hear in my head the constant wails of young children and sobbing heard during my time at the Dilley Detention Center. Though the experience was heartbreaking, I witnessed the incredible work of the volunteers and advocates who were doing everything possible to empower their clients. Among all the pain and hardship I encountered at the center, I saw humanity in one of its most beautiful and selfless forms.

When my week of volunteering at the center was over, I knew I could never forget the names or faces of the brave women who I had the pleasure of working with. I understood more than ever the need for me to use my legal education and language abilities to fight for the community that molded me.