2012 Equal Justice Works Fellow, Michelle Mora Rueda

Printer-friendly versionAs the U.S.-born daughter of immigrant parents, I know all too well how difficult it can be for immigrants to start a life in the United States, and I understand that it is often an immigrant’s desire to offer her children and family a better life that makes her embark on such a challenging journey. By the time I began law school, I had a strong desire to work with immigrants, and when I started volunteering as an interpreter for an Equal Justice Works attorney working with immigrant women and children, I knew that I had found my passion. All too often, these women and children were victims of domestic violence or other gender violence, too afraid or unaware of the possibility of seeking legal protection to access the rights afforded them in immigration law. Consequently, they risked not knowing how they could remain in the United States with their family and keep the lives they had worked so hard to establish. After three months of interpreting, I knew I had to do more than just volunteer; my family had gained protections under immigration law that allowed them to offer me the opportunity of a better life in the United States, now my goal, through this project, is to ensure that other immigrant families are offered the same opportunity.