Hi, my name is Sebastian, a rising 3L at Kent and ILS President. I became interested in immigration law because of my own experience as an immigrant. I moved to the United States when I was 11-years-old from Bogota, Colombia. Because of my stepdad’s legal adoption, I was able to become a citizen relatively easy. However, that was not the case for many of my Latinx friends growing up.
After witnessing ICE harass people of color at our local Walmart in high school, I became inspired to become an advocate for the immigrant community. I came to law school looking for opportunities where I could guide immigrants through their own naturalization process.
I was fortunate to participate in ILS’ annual trip to the South Texas Family Residential Center, where we helped women and children seeking asylum with their credible fear interviews. Hearing these women share their stories really put into perspective how important it is to not only encourage attorneys to devote time into these matters, but also to promote the need for a fairer immigration legal system in this country.
As a law student and future attorney, I will continue to do what I can to ensure that immigrants obtain legal aid regardless of the cost.