Legal Assistant
Born in Managua, Nicaragua, and having enjoyed a happy childhood surrounded by a large family, in the summer of 1979 I had to leave urgently due to the onset of violence and insecurity that stole the peace of my country. We left with a suitcase of clothes and a suitcase full of photo albums, as my mom had a feeling we would not be returning soon; my dad was confident it was a temporary exile. We left for Costa Rica, waiting for everything to calm down, but weeks went by and the situation in Nicaragua only became more dangerous. Being fortunate enough to have American visas, we moved to the United States, confident that it would only be a long vacation.
My paternal Grandmother had moved to California many years before and was a Permanent Resident. The moment my father realized that our stay in the United States would be longer than anticipated, he hired an attorney so that my grandmother could become a U.S. Citizen and petition for my father and us. In a short time we all enjoyed permanent residency in this country. My father, being a lawyer, knew that in order to do the immigration process in a timely and correct manner, it was necessary to hire an immigration lawyer and that helped the whole process to be fast and efficient.
My sister and I entered an all-girls Catholic school in Coconut Grove, while my brother entered La Salle Military Academy in New York, but returned to finish his last two years of high school in Miami. And so we began a life as immigrants in this country, a great country that opened its doors to our family.
During the 80’s, many of our family stayed in our home, fleeing the war in Nicaragua, looking for a place to live here. My maternal grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, my parents were very generous, guiding them and recommending that everyone handle their requests with legal assistance.
Moving from one country to another brings its challenges, learning a new language, new customs, having different habits and building a circle of friends, all of that was a process we had to learn. Today I feel fortunate to maintain my Nicaraguan roots, but also to have adapted to such a diverse and open culture that I accept that we became American citizens.
After spending 9 years as a paralegal in the Latin America, Caribbean and Canada department of a global company, I had the pleasure of coming to work for Marcela C. Rodriguez. I specialize in Waivers cases. It is exciting to be able to help families struggling for a future in this country, regardless of their immigration status. I feel privileged to be able to help the attorney build strong cases and deliver evidence to achieve immigration status for those who request our assistance. Each case is special, with different conditions, that is why the knowledge and integrity of the lawyer is the best tool our clients have.