Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays RILA Family!
Holiday 2023 Client Newsletter
As we anticipate the Christmas holiday, this season has truly been filled with JOY! Since September, we have received 25 asylum grants, 2 green cards and 6 approvals for special immigrant juveniles (SIJS). An additional 15 clients have been protected from removal because their cases were dismissed from Immigration Court. As a staff, we consider it a privilege and an honor to walk alongside our RILA family through the difficult moments and the moments of celebration! We are thankful for the opportunity to celebrate with so many of you this season!
For this newsletter, we would like to provide encouragement for those of you who are working on learning English, graduating from high school or applying for college. These are incredibly important goals and will reap tremendous benefits not only in your life, but also in your immigration cases.
Many of you know Mirna Galdamez, a Senior Legal Assistant with RILA. Like many of our RILA family, Mirna came to the U.S. as a teenager. She has overcome many challenges and has been such a tremendous resource for our whole RILA family. We asked Mirna to share a bit about how she identified and achieved her goals, what tips she would share with us and the impact of achieving her goals.
Success, to me, is all about the journey. I'm currently at a point in my life where I feel confident and capable of navigating the U.S. system on my own. I must say that being able to speak English and having graduated from high school and college has made my life much easier. I can now figure out things on my own and even assist others who may need help.
Throughout my journey, I have been fortunate enough to have many mentors and peers who have helped me in seeing my circumstances from a different perspective. Even though I may not have the same "status" as my peers and mentors in the United States, that does not make me any less of a human being than they are. This is why I think that it is important to surround yourself with people who will inspire and motivate you to explore and learn new things. When I was in high school, my counselor advised me to join as many clubs as possible to improve my English language skills. Acting on her advice, I joined various clubs, including sports, and even became the president of a dance club!
“Looking back, I wish I had been kinder to myself in the past. I was so focused on my status in the U.S. that I didn't allow myself to fully enjoy my achievements. Instead, I was always looking for the next accomplishment to make me feel better. However, I now realize that I wasn't fully experiencing my journey. That's why I want to take the time to enjoy the present and not rush through it.
I successfully navigated the complex college system with the help of my mentors and was able to help my younger brother and sister get into college as well. My brother is pursuing an Associate’s Degree in cyber security, while my sister is planning to become a nurse. If I had not pursued higher education myself, I don't think my siblings would be in college today. I am happy that they see me as a role model. I am currently working as a Senior Legal Assistant at RILA, where I assist our RILA families with their immigration cases. I feel extremely fortunate to be part of a nonprofit that values and respects the unique experiences of individuals going through the immigration process. My goal is to continue developing my skills and expanding my knowledge to better serve and support our RILA families.
If you are a high school student, here is my advice:
Find extracurricular activities you are interested in. You can access them by going to your school’s website.
Speak to your counselor about your academic goals before you graduate. If college is one of them, start asking questions about what will help you to get into college.
If you need assistance completing college applications and live in VA, apply to become a mentee at the Dream Project. See the link for more information.
If you are interested in getting work experience in a professional setting, I highly recommend applying at Urban Alliance. See the link for more information.
If you’re not planning to go to college, make sure that by your sophomore year, you start looking for technical programs. Every school offers different programs so you should talk to your counselor about it. Most of these programs offer a certification that allows the student to get a job after its completion.
You all are doing hard things and making your way here in the United States! We are so proud of the work you are doing. We also asked a few of our RILA family to share how they have tackled difficult challenges. We hope you enjoy hearing from them:
How were you able to learn English?
“I started learning English in Jordan as we take it in school. I got better by practicing it here in the U.S. with English speakers. It has impacted my life by making my interactions with others a lot easier for me. One important tip I have for someone learning is to never be embarrassed or not confident with your learning journey, and the more you practice and talk confidently with others the better you get!” — Wafa
“One of the methods that helped me at the beginning of learning English is an application called Rosetta Stone that I’m still using. It has been very useful. I’ve already had it for almost 3 years and it has helped me a lot. I listen to it for 3 hours every day. If I’m working, I only listen to the audio companion since it helps you educate your hearing in the language. A few years ago I started taking English classes at Fairfax County Public Schools. At first I didn’t know how to write and I didn’t get anything when the teachers were teaching the classes but I tried to ask over and over until I got in my own way and the classes have helped me a lot in speaking, listening, reading and writing. You can also try to listen to podcasts and music in English. Most of the time, try to talk because that helps to practice your pronunciation and express yourself. They have been good experiences in my life both in my work and in my daily life.” — Angelica
What helped you to graduate high school?
“I am grateful to my mom for helping me graduate high school. Every morning, she would encourage me to get up and complete my education. I am glad I listened to her because now I understand the value of finishing high school. Thanks to my finishing high school, I was able to learn English, which has opened up more job opportunities for me. But more than that, completing high school gave me a sense of self-satisfaction. It was a personal challenge, and I am proud to say that I succeeded. In the future, I plan to start my own car detailing business.” — Samuel
“What helped me graduate from high school was paying attention carefully to all my teachers, trying to practice English as much as I could, and staying after school for any classes if it was possible. It has impacted my life because now I speak more English and I have more knowledge about certain things that I learned during my whole 4 years at high school. What I could say to other people is: don’t be scared of making a mistake at school. It will happen - just learn from it. It might be hard if you are new to this country but you’ll get through it because in high school there’s a lot of people that help you, including the teachers. So don’t worry about it, just try as long as you can, and everything will be alright.” — Julissa
How did you navigate the college application process?
"It wasn't easy, but being part of the Dream Project's mentee program helped me a lot. They assigned me a mentor who guided me through the process. In every meeting, I would make progress on my personal essay and my mentor would review it. I was also given resources for scholarships. I advise anyone considering college to apply for as many scholarships as possible to afford college. Currently, I am studying to become a nurse at NOVA." — Grisly
If you’re looking for free English classes, here is a website with some information: https://www.cenaes.org/locations-schedules. There are also apps that can be helpful, such as Duolingo, which is a free app that can help you learn any language! You can find it my searching “Duolingo” in the app store on your phone. The public library also offers many free resources. You can check in there for information about conversation groups and classes near you!
From the RILA Staff, we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!