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By: Kristina Hill ‘25
This summer, I’ve been working as an intern at Journey’s End Refugee Services. Journey’s End operates a legal services clinic out of the refugee shelter, Vive. My main job at Journey’s End is to meet with clients and help them to fill out their I-589 Application for Asylum forms. Most of the clients I help do not speak English and we meet with the assistance of an interpreter. Many of them have just arrived in the United States and are attempting to navigate the United States court system. The most important and difficult part of the Form I-589 is the statement. Asylees must explain, in great detail, the circumstances that lead them to flee their home country. Our job is to help them understand the elements of asylum so that we can focus their statement on the correct aspects and answer all the questions on the form accurately.
The vast majority of clients are living in the shelter, either alone or with their families. They come from all over the world. Talking to people from all walks of life, all over the globe, has taught me the immense value of having legal knowledge and sharing it with those who have no means to obtain it themselves. Learning how to inform asylees about the legal process and explaining aspects of their asylum cases in straightforward terms has been an extremely valuable skill to hone for future work in the public interest field.
Working at Journey’s End has expanded my world view beyond what I ever thought possible. It was essential to conduct legal research to strengthen my client’s cases and increase my background knowledge in order to fully comprehend the events being relayed to me. Doing research on the conditions of each country is essential to writing an accurate and compelling statement for each client. Being a law student tends to make one’s world seem so insular and small. It was extremely humbling talking to people from all over the world with such diverse experiences, and furthermore doing research to learn of many others coming from a similar situation.
It is amazing that Buffalo has so many resources for refugees, and I hope that we continue to welcome asylum seekers and diversify our communities. Meeting and connecting with asylum seekers from many different countries made me fully realize the value of welcoming refugees into our community. I truly got to know every client I met with by learning their story and telling it for them to the best of my abilities. I can confidently say that every single client I’ve spoken with is someone that would bring value and light to our community in Buffalo. Immigration law is an extremely difficult field for those working with refugees, but reading case law and learning how many roadblocks clients would face on their path to asylum only motivated me to work even harder on their cases.
I was paired with a wonderful mentor, Irene, who has taught me more than I could ever expect to learn in a summer internship. Despite the insane schedule of public interest lawyers, Irene will always take the time to sit down and discuss issues with me until I feel fully prepared and equipped for any task at hand. The staff at Journey’s End has been endlessly welcoming and helpful to the other interns and I, fostering a uniquely warm and inviting working environment throughout the summer. I am extremely grateful to both Francis M. Letro ’79 and Cindy Abbott Letro for supporting the University at Buffalo School of Law Summer Public Interest Program and creating the 2023 UB School of Law Public Interest Summer Fellowship. Receiving summer funding was essential to me accepting an unpaid public interest fellowship and I will be eternally grateful to have used this summer to provide legal help to asylees in Buffalo. Receiving this fellowship made everything possible.
Name: Kristina Hill ‘25
Fellowship: 2023 UB School of Law Public Interest Fellowship funded by Francis M. Letro ’79 and Cindy Abbott Letro
Placement: Journey’s End Refugee Services
Location: Buffalo, NY
One important lesson I have learned from this fellowship: The most important lesson I’ve learned is how to use the law to guide you in what questions you ask a client. My fellowship taught me how to gather certain information from a client that will help their asylum case the most. It’s extremely important to remember the rule of law when interviewing a client so that you can explain how their story satisfies the elements of asylum.
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