When I posted my first blog to Instagram, a sweet friend of mine reached out to me offering her perspective on work. She was one on my list, so I was thankful for the head start on her interview. This project is exciting for so many reasons, but a primary one is that it offers perspective on women all along the career timeline – from those just beginning their career to the ones looking towards retirement.
Welcome to the story of a friend who is working her first post-graduate job. Let me introduce you to my friend, Emily H., a Department of Justice Accredited Representative for Immigrant Connect, a non-profit based in Logansport, Indiana.
To understand how Emily got to this point in her career, we need to go back a few years to her college days. Emily spent a summer working overseas in Eastern Europe the summer before her senior year. While there, she worked alongside asylum seekers and attorneys for refugees and thought, “That’s so practical and I would love to do something like that.” She returned to finish her degree in Community Development as the world shut down in 2020 due to the global pandemic. Not only was Emily navigating a job search in the middle of a pandemic, she was also watching racial justice issues come to the national spotlight as Black Lives Matter protests broke out all over the country. She wanted to do something, anything, to make a difference for the marginalized in her community. It was during this time that Emily found a business card she had been holding onto for two years. The conversations started for Emily to work at an Immigrant Connect church as a barista, a part-time youth pastor, and an aide in the immigration office – three jobs for which she had been applying. While talking through the possibilities, her boss mentioned that, as she went along, she would be able to go down whichever path she felt most passionate about. Emily started in September 2020, and by May of 2021 her path was obvious. Emily applied for her accreditation application with the Department of Justice to become an Accredited Representative. Her application was approved in January of 2022.
So what exactly does a DOJ Accredited Representative do? Emily is able to provide the same level of legal advice as an attorney but is unable to go to immigration court on behalf of her client. She and her co-workers offer legal advice for free to those who need help on their path towards citizenship. This is incredibly rewarding when her clients can become citizens. Emily also talked about how difficult it can be. She regularly has clients who have no pathway forward. “Until there’s reform, there is nothing we can do.”
For Emily, it feels like an honor to do what she can to help those on the margins. She is motivated by Philippians 2 in the Bible, where Paul talks about how Jesus humbled himself to the point of death on our behalf. While an undergraduate, Emily had a professor who opened her eyes to a new way of looking at the Bible and theology. Prof. Kayla Cruzo and her lessons in brown-skin theology showed her how Jesus had all the privilege and power, yet he laid down that privilege and power to redeem humanity – to provide a way for wholeness. “I keep trying [with my clients] because I want to be like Jesus to humble myself for the sake of others.”
As Emily’s role has evolved, she talks about how re-learning Spanish has been the most advantageous skill she’s picked up along the way. “Language learning skills are humbling. It’s like taking a two-year-old’s vocabulary level and being forced into adult situations.” Humility sets in as she relies on others for their patience and understanding as she offers support as best she can. Emily is fortunate to have other teammates who are fluent that she can tap for help as needed.
Emily’s greatest strength is her high desire/motivation to learn and improve. As we spoke, she talked about wanting to do her very best so that her clients have the best chance for success in their journey towards citizenship. Emily is constantly looking to improve her Spanish and her knowledge of the law so that she can be a more competent and dependable representative. On the flip side of this, Emily’s weakness is that “I take work too personally.” When mistakes are made at work it takes a lot of effort to separate herself from the case. In a job that is weighty, I can only imagine how much mental and emotional discipline it takes to leave work at the office.
Although the work is challenging, Emily is inspired by her clients who are actively walking down challenging paths where the system is broken. Nevertheless, they persist with great hope and determination.
Maybe you, like me, are curious how Emily maintains work/life balance in the middle of a job like this one. She admitted that she isn’t always great at this, but that she does have a great support system in place to keep her in check. Her co-workers call her out when she’s getting too emotionally invested. Her husband, James, knows that it’s good that she cares, but gently reminds her not to over-exert herself on the things that she can’t change.
In five to ten years, Emily is looking towards law school. We spoke at length about Emily’s desire to continue to elevate voices from the margins. As a white woman who comes from a privileged background, Emily is learning to use her voice as a megaphone for those who have no voice. Someone once told her to “take my story and tell others what I’ve been through.” This advice offers encouragement for Emily to share the stories of immigrants in white spaces, where the immigrant may not be welcome, to inspire and encourage change.
Emily is becoming Emily H., a married twenty-something. She’s becoming more comfortable with disappointment and unknowns and tears. And whether she realizes it or not, Emily is becoming a more and more competent, strong, inspiring woman whose work is not in vain. Someone who is allowing the priorities of the Kingdom of Heaven to shape the way she views the world around her.
For more information about Immigrant Connection, click here.
Emily’s Favorite Book List:
- The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver
- The Insanity of God – Nik Ripken
- Welcoming the Stranger – Jenny Yang, Leith Anderson, Matthew Soerens