Forever Thank You!

Thank You Law Office of Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado, PLC

From the first day of my interview, to the last day at the office I felt like I was part of the family, as was the office’s Mission. There are not sufficient words to even describe the difference you have made in each intern’s lives in the time they have spent in the office. Now that my internship is over, I completely understand how difficult it is for interns to say goodbye and why many continue to keep in touch. I feel honored to have met so many humble men and women, which provided the essential guidance in my career path. Working under the direction of Law Office of Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado, I learned the importance of treating individuals with dignity. People that come for service are more than profit, and it was clear that clients finally felt appreciated that someone was treating them more than just an asset. I highly respect the commitment and passion that has been clearly integrated into the offices principles. As each member dedicated themselves working long hours to ensure that families were kept united, never once did I hear someone complain. Truly are an aspiration to follow and as I continue on my educational goals, I will always remind myself to commit myself fully to the causes I care about because it reflects on my performance  as each one of you have demonstrated. I thank you once again for giving me an opportunity and for always being there as a mentor even when the internship has come to an end.

Sincerely,

Diana Fernandez-Arroyo

Reflecting Back

Immigration wise, I did not learn more about laws in Arizona State as it was my main priority goal. If I would have had more time, I would have enjoyed having that opportunity but I can always do my own research. Without realizing it though I have become more confident on myself not second guessing every decision I made.

I have come a far ways from where I began. I recall the first week where I questioned myself if I was good enough since I held no legal knowledge or background on immigration laws (besides the basics). Being resourceful was one of my main goals to achieve, and it was being resourceful that assisted me in learning quickly and adapting to my new environment. I learned which post offices were open late, that came handy for over night deliver of packages, learned to maneuver  through different municipal courts around the area. This helped me open myself up and be more outspoken (of course being polite, never rude). Each day, was a new experience, that pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I learned the importance of asking for help is part of being resourceful. With the correct guidance I was able to achieve the tasks that were given at hand.Even though the internship lasted for a few months, I learned so much and it was difficult for me to say farewell as I continue my educational path, but I was very grateful that I was given an opportunity when they knew I had no Legal experience. It was this opportunity that I pushed myself to be the best I could to ensure not to fail them nor myself. And I enjoyed every challenge, and every moment I spend in the office.

Downtown Career Fair

The Downtown Career Fair on March 25 provided a diverse selection of organizations. This time before showing up to the downtown career fair I did my background research for the organizations I was highly interested in. I also showed up half an hour early because I had never been inside the Sun Devil Fitness complex. Knowing ahead of time exactly which stands you want to attend, and having questions set ahead of time demonstrates to recruiters; commitment to their organizations.

This time around I managed my time effectively, giving me enough time to visit other stands to see what else was out there. I am one that avoids stands where people  look like they don't want to be there. But there was many stands where the recruiters were really welcoming and provided answers as best as they could, while also referring me to websites where I could get in contact with individuals that could give me a more in depth response. These last two months I have been debating with myself whether to apply for job opportunity in China, but after speaking with a representative from FBI sector in analyze I learned that it is a job opportunity I should take, if I want to be able to compete for a job in the analyze sector. I highly recommend for students to attend career fairs before their senior year, as I should have since the resources were there. But it is never to late either.

Pets

Currently because I am living away from my parents I cannot afford bringing my own puppy along. Fortunately, I live in home where they have two adorable small dogs. I have found myself hogging them with lots of love as if they were my own. Pets are a great stress reliever and they always manage to put a smile on ones face. I love being welcomed after a long day by this dogs, however; I have not enjoyed how many pairs of nylons they have torn. But they still keep being adorable and innocent as always.

However, since they are not my pets I cannot hog them 24/7 since they still have owners, so I have found myself spending more time at my friends house "petsitting" since he is  gone most of the time. I have nicknamed one of his pitbulls because I did not think the name suited the dog. I know I do not have the right to give Snow that's what I call her a new name, but she has learned to respond to both names. I am still far from being able to afford a place of my own to own a big dog, but it comforts me being able to spend few hours with Snow as she is one soft tender pitbull. I will have a difficult time one day departing from Snow as I have become attached to her, but I must constantly remind myself that she is not my pet.

Allergies

I have never had allergies before, I constantly heard about how awful it is to have allergies but since I never dealt with it I never worried. Well this year I moved to Avondale, and it is there where I realized how bad allergies can get and how they affect ones daily lifestyle. My awareness of allergy side affects was very minimal. For the first two days I was positive that I was getting sick. I had even given myself my own diagnose. Even when I was told at first I had allergies I was not willing to accept because I was being stubborn. Well, I let my allergies get worse, because I was determined it was a cold the whole entire time.

It was until they got really bad that I realized I did have allergies.It took awhile to get my allergies under control but I did. And now I can understand my friends when they complain about seasonal changes. I also learned in which areas my allergies get worse, thus I avoid as much as possible. After this experience, I came to the conclusion that I am no doctor and next time around I will not be doing my own diagnoses.

Strengths of Organization

The Greatest strengths of our the Law Office of Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado is Communication. The effectiveness to communicate and collaborate to get tasks done as quickly and accurately has made it possible for problems to be overcome.This characteristics was tested this semester when our attorney's wife went into unexpected labor a month early. Thankfully she gave birth to a beautiful healthy boy!

As it is completely understood, Attorney Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado could not be in the office that week because he had to be by his wife's side. Even though Attorney Ray could not be in the office in person he ensured that we managed to inform every client that was rescheduled as well as; judge's of the circumstances that occurred. As a collective whole and through rapid communication we kept each other within the office updated as soon as consultations were rescheduled, and as soon as we received news from judge's of extending the court dates.  All these updates were given to our supervisor, which stayed in constant contact with our attorney. by constantly communicating together we effectively worked through a busy week.

Since the beginning the office made teamwork a priority, and by doing so it has made the office a strong workplace. I would not change anything from that office, because even though we are assigned individual tasks it is important to be able to communicate with other interns, supervisor, and boss. Since teamwork has been well embedded into the foundation of the office, there is a level of trust and openness to ask each other for help when is needed. As a result I would not change the structure of the office.

Public Service

The office focuses on promoting accessibility for law services for low-income families by providing them with immigration updates of policies.During the weekends it has established seminar's to teach community members how to put a DACA application together. This is highly necessary regardless of where the individual decides to have his/her application submitted because it cost on the financial cost, which is already expensive for the client.Besides providing seminars in how to organize the application, its also a widow of opportunity to educate the public in current immigration news, thus clients avoid being scammed by other individuals that can see their desperation of help.

Humor

I really enjoy a good sense of humor, especially when finals are coming around it. I know humor is not appropriate for every occasion, but now we take everything to seriously.  Humor is a great stress reliever, especially when one is trying to finish the last assignments and getting ready for finals. Recently I have found myself watching many comedians on TV before heading to sleep. 

Personally I do feel more relax. This is just an opinion and even though humor might not be for everyone as a stress reliever, its a great educational opportunity as well. I think if I could be funny, being a comedian would be a wonderful career because it brings many smiles to people's faces and also its a form of teaching. If done correctly its a great way to speak about history and contemporary social issues that affect us. It has helped my roommate and I open up about different perception of how we view social issues that we are more likely to suppress, as some issues are considered inappropriate to speak about publicly. In  a way humor breaks that barrier, and gets individuals to open up and talk about important issues that affect us today. 

Oreo McFlurry

 Lately I have been craving a lot of ice cream. To the point I forget to budget myself and have stopped everyday after my internship to buy an Oreo McFlurry. This also might be a result of my car being really hot when I get in it. But this warm weather has been perfect for an Oreo McFlurry. Is the taste worth the cost? Highly, or else I probably would have stopped buying them to began with. Personally I do not like Oreo's by themselves, but the combination of Oreo's and and ice cream are too are sweet and satisfying for my taste buds.
  Sometimes guilt does set it in while I am sitting there eating my Mcflurry. I have considered cutting back because the cost eventually adds up on the long run. I have tried telling myself to stop but as soon as I am driving by McDonald's I can't help and resist to stop. Even with heavy traffic, I am willing to wait to get my Oreo McFlurry.  Also, I have thought about how unhealthy Oreo McFlurrys are.  But then I realize even if I knew how unhealthy they are, it wouldn't stop me from buying them. In the end the guilt is short lived. And I continue indulging myself in such a delicious treat.

Hot Weather

     I was born and raised in the Northwest for 20 years. As of today, it has been 2 years living in AZ and I am still not use to this hot weather. Now I am going to began complaining about this weather, but before I do I will say that I love Arizona, just not the hot weather like most people. If I could change anything it would just be the extreme heat. If the weather was not as extreme for me, I would have most likely decided to settle in Phoenix for the next couple of years, however; after graduation I will be moving up Northwest as soon as I can to escape the summer like I usually do every year.
    In the office where I intern they keep it pretty cool, but somehow I manage to be always the first one sweating (and I am just sitting most of the time). I accept that I am the only non-native AZ in the office, but I was hoping that I would have got use to this temperature since its barely April now. Apparently I will not. I have thought about carrying my own little fan around in the office to keep me nice and fresh. Also, my car has felt the extreme hot now. Leather seats are not the best idea around this area, and its also not the best idea to forget to put the seat covers back on. I learned this the difficult way, when I sat down after a long day in the office in my car. And then I thought to myself if this is barely April, and my car seats are extremely hot, how will they be in the summer?

Dormant Dragon

     Currently I have taken a hobby in my extra time to draw sleeping dragons. My friend asked me why I was so interested in drawing dormant dragons. I had not come aware that every dragon I was drawing was usually asleep, until he had pointed it out to me. So I sat there for awhile acknowledging his question before I came to my own realization as to why I had decided to draw only dormant dragons. Now my analogy is not the best but it works for me.
     Dragons in the magical world are symbolized as strong majestic creatures. We are the dragons in the real world. They are sleeping because we never fully become aware of our surroundings. We are blinded by stereotypes, beliefs , and allow others to do the decision making for us. But a dragon will never stay asleep, eventually it will wake up when his/her beliefs are stepped on. It is at this moment when one feels the power and strength of the dragon. This knowledge is felt among others and the dragon then is noticed. But until then the dragon continues sleeping. And that's why i draw dragons.

Role Model: Interview

      I had the great opportunity to interview my boss Attorney Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado. Currently, I have no interest in being a lawyer but  I want to pursue a career that prospers in obtaining justice. After being an intern in The Law Office of Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado, I have witness the injustice that happens in our criminal justice system. It is defendants like Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado that demonstrate that one person can actually make a difference. Ray A. Ybarra Maldonado is an attorney, social justice advocate, a husband and father; with all this he manages to balance his life schedule to ensure that justice is granted for those that deserve it. His commitment for his work is reflected on the numerous cases he has won. Thus, before interviewing him, it was essential to have questions that covered all aspects of his work, in and out of the office.
    The first part of the interview I covered education needed to be a lawyer, and advice for those seeking to be a lawyer. Attorney Ray recommended anyone interested in being a lawyer to not do it for the money but because they love it, because with so many lawyers coming out the money is no longer guaranteed. As an undergraduate one should focus on their grades if they want to enter competitive schools, and once a student is admitted into law school consider taking different subjects to broaden your interest. As previously mentioned one should be in the field because they are passion about. Passion is the best character value one could have in this field. Attorney Ray emphasized that if one has passion everything else will derive from that.It is this character value that has driven him to work through the nights and drive all over the state .
A question I found highly important because as an attorney or any other profession one won't always succeed. So how do does one deal with failure when they know that their actions has direct impact in the lives of their clients? Attorney Ray mentioned that failure is part of the fight, one won't always succeed, its just about learning from it and continue fighting because the fight doesn't end , it just begins again. The second part focuses on being an Justice advocate. I asked him when should we not comply with law, when the law is unjust that being, when should we engage in civil disobedience or walk away? Attorney Ray, stated "that we should choose our battles, not ideal moments". Engage as to what is in the best movement overall. Immigrants is still under use civil disobedience. These were some of the key questions that illuminated my understanding about the impact one individual can make, as well as; the importance of justice.

Leadership Role

     Even though the office is organized by a hierarchy structure we all contribute to take on leadership roles, especially when our boss is not around. As interns we all have had the opportunity to rise to a leadership position whether this is upfront or from the back. Being a leader doesn't always mean we are assigned leadership position but being ready to step up to the occasion when is needed. This is highly necessary in moments of quick thinking. There is always someone whether this be the supervisor or one of the interns that takes leadership and gets the team going to finish a case in short period of time. Since we have come to know each other well, we know our assets and contribute when needed. This makes us highly effective in finishing tasks on time as a team.
     With new interns constantly coming in through the office, I have had the chance to demonstrate and assist new interns office procedures even when I am busy working on my independent work. As leaders, we have worked along each other, helping when needed. As one of the interns that has been there the longest, I acknowledge that I don't know everything, so its important to learn to step down and take advice from other interns. Sometimes being a leader goes unnoticed, but we are all there to succeed as a team not be rewarded for taking the initiative of being a leader.