Emma Watson- UN Address

          I feel that Emma Watson has captured the essence of what equality represents. She recently delivered a speech on gender equality at a United Nations meeting advertising her newest feminist campaign called HeForShe. Her speech, I'm going to be honest, made me cry. The issue wasn't extremely close to home for me because I have not personally had an experience in which I was discriminated against, and the topic of gender equality isn't the most fragile or sincere, but the way her speech was delivered made an enormous impact on the crowd, as well as myself. Her one speech, made me want to revisit my views on how I rank gender equality. You would expect that as a woman, it would be ranked #2 or #3 at least, but I have recently found myself drawn to other issues. Because of Ms. Watson's speech, that issue has just become ten times more important to me, and it made me want to research more. It not only empowered me, but left me feeling fulfilled, as if all this time I had been looking for something and she had finally shown me the light. I would have never thought I would become such an advocate for women equality everywhere, but after that delivery, I would have to rethink my stance.

          I am currently enrolled in a Public Address class at Citrus College, and this speech has become my inspiration. I intend to work towards being as persuasive, confident and dignified as Emma Watson in her delivery.

          This relates to my Senior Project because as an attorney, determined by the type of the law one is involved in, one could present as often as 5 times a week in front of a courtroom crowd. Often being seated somewhere in the back, I know that those courtroom seats could hold a maximum of around 40 people in the smallest of rooms. Presentation skills are mandatory and extremely important in determining the success of your case because each time the attorney stands up and speaks, he is pleading for his client, and if he/she cannot improvise quickly enough to do impromptu speeches or fast, clever remarks, then failure in inevitable.

          I hope you enjoy this as much as I did- Emma's Speech

Blog 6 - Second Interview Preparation

1. Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My mentor is immigration attorney Jaime Jasso, who works at Law Office of Jaime Jasso in Pomona, California.

2. What 5 questions will you ask them about their background?


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1. What made you want to become an immigration attorney?

2. How many years did it take to become an immigration attorney & what were the basic necessities of schooling in terms of the numerous universities?

3. What makes you an expert in your field?

4. Why did you decide to start your own office?

5. What things do you do to keep current in your profession?

Blog 5 - Mentorship Reflection

1. Mentorship Question: Describe your experience in how how you found your mentorship? If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.

From the beginning, (of this senior year... not of time) I knew I wanted to do something in regards to law. My father, an attorney, has instilled in me a passion for government and I have looked forward to doing this project since sophomore year. Finding a mentor was difficult at first because I did not want my father to be my mentor, but as the deadline approached for finding a mentor, I found my contacts limited and my father to be my only reliable source. I wanted his help to find myself a mentor who would be a friend of his, but who would have known that the lawyers and judges of America don't have the time or will take a passionate youngster underneath their all knowledgeable, and frankly rude wing.

It was a difficult choice that I fretted about for several weeks because I wanted to do this without his assistance. I craved independence, but I realized that I wasn't going anywhere without help and I have the biggest resource I could have possibly imagine one door over and I was just going to ignore it for reasons of pride? No. So there I was at 2am knocking on my parents door... "Alright! I have come to a decision. You can be my mentor dad!" At that point, I don't think he cared much what I thought. In fact I'm pretty sure at the moment, what he was thinking was pretty darn rude, but he went along with it anyway and for that, I am grateful.

2.  Research Question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

So far the most important article I have read was "My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant" by Jose Antonio Vargas. Although it was published in 2011, its events are still considered current despite the fact it doesn't include some of the most recent developments in immigration law. That article basically consisted of the story of one man, who wrote about his own life story of pain, deprivation and truth. I would like to say it was a heartwarming and touching story, but the truth is that it was horrific. His life was unfair and though he tried all his life to beat the system, the government eventually won and he came clean in a confession through the form of that article. If anything, it was inspiring and awakening. All my life I have grown up in a law office where I saw people just like me, but in so much worse conditions, simply due to fate. Due to the fact that they were born in another country, their life was bound by restrictions mine was not. It pains me to this day that our system works like that, but the simple fact is: it works. So there won't really be a change. That's the truth and thats the basis of the article.

If this introduction was intriguing and you would like to read the full 12 page article, click here.