Gunfighter at The View from Here has sent me some interview questions. If you have not read his blog, I highly recommend it. He is a devoted father, husband and Christian and his blog entries are both humorous and touching. With apologies for taking so long to get to these, here are my answers to Gunfighter’s questions.

You are employed as a Legal Secretary, but you are also attending law school. How did you come to decide that you wanted to be an attorney? What kind of law would you like to practice?

I am the daughter of immigrants and am married to an immigrant. I have lived both overseas and throughout the United States and have seen the pervasive anti-immigrant sentiments that abound here. In an ideal world where money didn’t matter, my dream would be to practice immigration law and help individuals. In reality, I think that labor and employment law would better allow me to help with some of the workplace issues facing immigrants and also take on pro bono immigration cases on the side. I am very interested in the issues of women in the workplace (pay disparity, work/life balance, mommy path, etc.). In the past I have worked with national organizations to lobby on behalf of women and I like to think that I would use my legal education to continue work as an advocate on womens’ rights issues.

In terms of switching from legal secretary to lawyer, it has to do with the ability to effect change. As a legal secretary, I have some flexibility and free time to volunteer and take part in activities that help women. However, without the power that an attorney has, I am somewhat impotent in my ability to rally large groups of people to my causes. I believe I can do much more in this world as an attorney and am hopeful that my secretarial background will be a great asset. I have worked with some well-known, highly intelligent attorneys who have showed me how to balance life and work, the importance of taking on cases that both change the way things are done and also help individuals, and the myriad ways that attorneys can bring people together for the benefit of their community.

Finally, I am a Christian. My mother calls my tendency to befriend the underdog “Stray Puppy Syndrome”, but I believe God has called me to give a voice to people who cannot otherwise stand up for themselves. In high school I led the charge for a GLBT support group, volunteered at the hospital’s rape examination unit and wrote newspaper articles that were turned down for publication because they tackled hot-button issues. I brought home homeless teenagers, had a large number of hungry/abused friends, and always formed close friendships with immigrants in my school and at work. I am hopeful that my ideals won’t change over the next four years of law school and that I can find a way to do work that is meaningful and fulfills God’s plan for my life.

You immigrated to this country as a child. Do you miss your home country? Do you have any remnants of an accent?

I missed my homeland more when we first moved to the United States. As time has gone on, I can see the benefits of living here. When we first moved and for many years afterwards, I was very bitter and refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance or do anything that would make me “one of them.” When I moved to a large city and started to meet more teenage immigrants, I realized that there is an assimilation curve and that most of us go through the same feelings. We’ve lived here for 15 years now (yikes – has it been that long?!?) and I’ve had the chance to see the U.S. through my husband’s eyes as a land of opportunity. I come from a country that is well-off and offers many opportunities to its citizens so I didn’t view the U.S. the same way my husband did.

As for an accent, there are some things I pronounce differently. However, the only time people tell me I have an accent is when I speak a foreign language. I took a foreign exchange trip during high school and several of the natives said, “You’re not American.” Apparently my accent also comes through on the phone sometimes.

I know that you care deeply about social justice. Here is your chance to spot: Tell us what you think is the most important social justice issue in the United States. What are we doing right or wrong about it?

Obviously immigration is a major issue for me, but I would say that race/poverty are the most important and overlooked social justice issues in the U.S. Anyone who has visited New Orleans and the surrounding areas recently will tell you that the government does not care about those living in poverty and has mostly abandoned the majority African American people of New Orleans. Minority men are still being streamlined into special education at higher rates than Caucasians, still being sent to jail more often, and are not receiving the same educational or employment opportunities, thus maintaining a cycle of poverty for their families. The government is simply not doing enough to help raise people out of poverty with equal access to healthcare, equal educational opportunities and nutritious food sources. I have lived in a majority Section 8 housing community and have seen the numerous jail-barred fast food restaurants next to the one grocery store with marked-up, less-than-fresh produce and fatty cuts of meat. I could drive 15 minutes to a more affluent area with more grocery options but my neighbors were bus-dependent and often elderly or infirm. It’s obvious to me that the government has pushed this issue to the very bottom of their priority list, despite the national scandal that Katrina and the post-Katrina cleanup should continue to be.

It must be difficult working full time and attending law school, while being married and being a mom. How do you handle it all? How are your husband and the rest of your family dealing with it?

Can I get back to you on this one in six months? LOL! I married my husband when I was halfway through undergrad and my son was born about six months after I graduated. During undergrad, I was working full-time (and then some!) and taking 16-18 credits/semester at night. I managed to juggle it all then, but I didn’t have a child to consider. Chapin is very supportive, at least in theory, of my decision to attend law school. He even knew I wanted to do it before I did! My parents also live very close to us and there is no way I’d be doing this without their help. Right now my parents are commited to help 1-2 nights/week and Chapin will be home on time the other two nights. His job is somewhat unpredictable, but we think we’re in a routine now where he should be able to get home with no problems. It’s also helped that my classes will be over by 8 most nights so that I can get home in time for bath/books with Pumpkinhead. I will also drive him to school in the morning so we should still have time for each other. I’m cautiously optimistic that all will work out.

Can you cook? What is your signature dish? What kind of foods would you eat all of the time, if you could eat them without fear of getting fat (like me), or having a heart attack?

Ha, ha – you are so far from fat I’m falling off my chair laughing. Me on the other hand… No, I am not a good cook at all despite my best efforts. Chapin has very greasy latin tastes and I prefer healthier, lighter fare. I love fresh fish, but always mess it up when I cook it myself. Fortunately Chapin is a great cook and makes some very inventive dishes when he is on duty. I love lamb and would eat it all the time if my Mom was cooking it. I also love grilled veggies and would cook them all the time (on the grill or the George Foreman) if I wasn’t so lazy. The grill requires heating and the George Foreman is a pain to clean. Plus I’m the only one who would eat it. Chapin might eat it one night but generally prefers heavy meat/rice dishes without veggies. Bleech. Obviously we tend to fend for ourselves somewhat due to our busy schedules and incompatible food preferences. My number one favorite food is chocolate and I would eat it all day every day if I could.

Do you have a common name (I’m not asking you to tell us what it is)?
Yes, the name I go by is fairly common. Not as common as Jane or Sarah, but common enough that you could probably find at least one more of me in a large group. I checked SSA stats and it was very popular (top 20) from 1992 – 2001. It has now dropped to the bottom half of the top 100. My legal name hasn’t cracked the top 100 in years. It was at the bottom of the top 100 from 1982 – 1988 and has since returned to below-100 ranking.

Thanks for the interview, Gunfighter!