This summer Professor Paulina Vera taught a mock immigration law class to high school scholars of the Caminos al Futuro program. This program is put on by GW’s Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute, which draws on the intellectual strength of the George Washington University, and the resources of the nation’s capital, to cultivate citizen scholars and innovative research focused on the Latino community. Research produced by the Institute examines current issues facing our country to encourage diverse perspectives in national dialogue and decision-making. The Institute’s robust curriculum in leadership and professional development prepares high-achieving students to make a difference and become the leaders of their generation. Learn more about the institute here.
Read more from Professor Vera about this experience:
I am honored to have taught a mock immigration law class for a third year to the high school scholars participating in the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute's Caminos al Futuro summer program. During the class, I provided the students with hypos based on real Immigration Clinic cases. I also provided them with a handout that briefly describes different forms of immigration relief. The students were split into groups and asked to identify which form(s) of relief their "clients" were eligible for. We came back together as a full group and discussed. Students were asked to recap the facts of the case, issue-spot, defend their arguments, and brainstorm types of supporting evidence, much like they would in a law school course.
The students kept me on my toes. Their engagement level was evident from all of the questions and thoughtful discussion. We discussed until the very last minute of class!
Beyond modeling a law school class for the students, I like to teach these students - many of them with firsthand knowledge of the U.S. immigration system themselves - about the many issues our system has and how that impacts real people. Finally, I talked to them about being a Latina in a profession where we are woefully underrepresented (less than 2% of all U.S. attorneys are Latina; about 5% of all attorneys are Latine/x). During a tour of the law school, students asked me all types of questions, specifically about being authentic in this profession and paths to law school. In particular, I connected to two students whose backgrounds are similar to mine - one is also from Arizona and another is also Peruvian.
My hope is that these students walk away from this experience being able to imagine themselves in the roles I'm in - a lawyer, supervisor, and professor - and to also know that there are people and support networks out there that want to help them succeed in their professional lives.
During the program three students, Claire Avalos, Athor Martinez, and Aisha Tasso, documented their experiences. Check out their blog posts below!