Immigrant Personal Statement

The path that brought me across the border of Mexico to the United States has also brought me along this path to law school. My parents divorced in 1994 and the lack of economic opportunities for a single mother produced her difficult decision to leave Ecuador on July 15, 1995. My sister, two cousins, and I left on a weeklong journey in pursuit of a better life. At 13 months old I was taken from my mother’s arms by a coyote and I crossed the Mexican border alone that day. I admire the risk and multiple jobs my mom worked to bring me to the United States to pursue a dream and I understand the choice that many immigrants take to do the same.

Two years later, on July 19, 1997 my mother remarried to the man who adopted me, raised me with equal

Immediately, I began with a service of tutoring and mentoring refugee students in the inner city public schools. In addition, I taught English to adult immigrant students and prepared them for their journey to citizenship. Each individual had a unique story that I empathetically connected to because they were once challenges of my own. Their common challenge was communication that I also experienced from being raised in a Spanish household. Not being understood due to a different language, culture, and ethnicity is a frustrating

I was able to overcome this barrier through travel to France, Italy, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Ecuador. I desired to reach that diversity of cultures and immigrant community closer to home. I eliminated the obstacle, which in this case was location, by interning at the Law Office of Mercedes S. Cano in Jackson Heights, Queens (NY) last summer. I visit this area yearly and have recognized the strong exposure to the immigrant community. It was a rewarding experience to learn from Ms. Cano’s wealth of knowledge regarding