The situation with immigrants and refugees coming to the United States is always a sensitive topic. Nonetheless it is something that is very prominent and important to learn about. Last summer I had the opportunity to shadow Sister Diane Roche, RSCJ. She volunteers at Catholic Charities with the Office of Refugee Services as a caseworker. During this job shadow opportunity I was able to meet some of Sister Diane’s clients and also put my skills as a Spanish speaker into practice.
I was very excited for this opportunity and it also helped me realize what I was passionate about and what I wanted to do in the future. Shadowing Sister Diane, I met two Haitian mothers in their mid twenties, a middle aged couple from El Salvador, and a couple in their late twenties from Venezuela. All of these people I met definitely made a difference in my life but the family that I felt a connection with was the Venezuelan couple. During a meeting they had with Sister Diane, I served as an interpreter. We were helping them fill out a survey that was in English, to apply for an immigration lawyer to represent them in court because the cost to hire one was almost $10,000. The court visit was to move on to the next steps in their citizenship journey because they are here on a refugee visa to then see if the court approved them for a green card. However, this was hard for me to process because although I was helping them make progress, if no lawyer stepped up to take their case for a low cost, the opportunity for them to get their green card would be taken away. If they did not have a lawyer to represent them, they would not attend the court hearing and there are a total of three court hearings they would need to attend to get approved by the court so they can start their naturalization process. This is when I realized that I want to be an immigration lawyer to serve those immigrants and refugees in need of support to get naturalized in the United States.
Considering the current situation of politics and immigration, I really admire the work that Sister Diane does. Not only does she help her clients take advantage of the very few opportunities they have, she also creates a connection with her clients that allows her to build meaningful relationships. She becomes a strong base for her clients by giving them hope through her work and demonstrates genuine care and compassion for her clients.
In an interview I had with Sister Diane, I asked her “Was there a moment you knew that this was the right field of work for you? And if so, what was that moment?” She responded with “Well, this isn’t really work. It’s just something that I’ve longed to do.” She said because “it is just a Gospel call.” This is very powerful because even though she has been a volunteer caseworker for five years, it is something she knew she wanted to do for a while and it proves that it is never too late to do what you’re passionate about. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer instead of a caseworker because I think knowing the policy is very important in order to help immigrants and refugees. Case workers do not really focus on policy and I also think there are not enough immigration lawyers amidst the amount of immigrants and refugees in need.
My time with Sister Diane was amazing. I learned so much and I am so grateful to her for allowing me this experience.
