This month we said goodbye to our summer legal intern, Eleni Filley, who joined us from the Law School at Washington and Lee. On behalf of the entire staff of NewBridges, we want to express what a delight she was to have on our team. Eleni came into the office each day with a big smile on her face and a willingness to jump into all aspects of our work. In addition to supporting our legal staff, Eleni took on the challenge of developing a framework for a new programmatic initiative.
In this short interview, Eleni shares a little bit of what she learned through her experience and offers a short testimonial.
What I learned this summer:
“This summer at NewBridges, I learned a vast amount about the innerworkings of a nonprofit and immigration law. Prior to my internship, I had very limited knowledge regarding affirmative and defensive immigration work and the different immigration services a potential client may need.
The NewBridges staff taught me about the necessary documents and information needed for various immigration matters: from work authorization to asylum petitions, u-visas, TPS, and DACA renewals! At every point, the positive and collaborative staff members helped facilitate my learning.
I became more familiar with USCIS and Title 8 of the Code of Federal Regulations. Not only did I learn more about immigration services but I was also able to practice my Spanish speaking skills and learn new vocabulary and phrases.
I also was impressed to learn about the importance of community participation and constituent involvement. I was taught about the process of applying for different grants, and enjoyed the mentorship that came with lessons of facilitating the business side of the organization.
My favorite part of the internship was having the privilege to meet and work with clients. These experiences impressed upon me the importance of creating a comfortable and trustworthy environment to ensure clients feel as confident as possible in their representation and case. I was honored to engage in client intakes and see the impressive work NewBridges does for the Harrisonburg community in action!”
Testimonial:
I highly recommend an internship at NewBridges for any law student interested in immigration law! I came into the summer with very little immigration knowledge and left with a much better understanding of different immigration services that a potential client may want to pursue.
The work was always interesting! Every day, there were new clients to meet and new legal issues to learn. Despite being intimidated due to my lack of immigration knowledge, the NewBridges staff made me feel prepared and confident for every day of work. Prior to my first day, NewBridges made sure to provide me with informative manuals and cases to get a better understanding of immigration law. Once I began the internship, every staff member was quick to offer their expertise and share what they work on. The team culture and friendly environment not only facilitated my learning, but truly made every day enjoyable at the office.
Each staff member was always willing to answer my questions and gave me opportunities to engage with clients in meetings. I also was given several opportunities to conduct legal research, observe virtual hearings (when permitted by the Court) and review legal writing.
For any student interested in legal immigration work, an internship at NewBridges provides a well-rounded, holistic, and positive experience. Additionally, the program also offered opportunities to learn more about the business-side of maintaining a non-profit.
I cannot thank the NewBridges staff and Harrisonburg community enough for giving me the opportunity to work as a legal intern this summer. Many thanks to Russell Leary, the Executive Director, for facilitating this experience, Steve Smith, the organization’s immigration attorney, for providing me with invaluable legal mentorship, Mariela Rodriguez-Gildner, for sharing more about her work as an accredited representative, Ricardo Mazariegos, for the opportunity to learn about healthcare support for the immigrant community, and Leah Hackman, for teaching me about managing the finances and grant opportunities at a non-profit. I am incredibly grateful to each team member for making me feel so welcome and creating such a wonderful internship experience!
