Where are you from?
Over the past 13 years, I have represented clients from more than 100 countries. Each case is an opportunity to learn about different cultures and backgrounds. When I first meet clients, they often ask, “Where are you from?” which is a fair question considering they share their personal details. To be honest, I prefer not spending a lot of time talking about myself. For this reason, I have decided to write this post. So if you are interested in my background, read on….
Parents
Starting with my parents, if you listened to my TEDx talk on YouTube, you will know that my Canadian father sponsored my American mother through a Spousal Sponsorship application. They met at the University of Chicago while they were each doing graduate studies.
On my father’s side, his Canadian roots go back at least 5 generations and most of my relatives on that side live in Ontario. In the early 1900s, they owned a youth camp called “Idywylde” and my father spent much of his childhood as a Camp Counsellor doing all sorts of outdoors activities. Growing up, he taught us many of these skills and we would spend lengthy periods of time camping in the woods.
On my mother’s side, her American parents are from Kansas, USA. Her mother (my grandmother) was the eldest of 10 children and she grew up on a farm during the Depression. She joked that she walked to and from school uphill 10 miles every day. The grandkids would laugh every time she told that joke. She was the matriarch of the family with a strong personality. Her husband (my grandfather) was a family doctor. During WWII, he did research on finding treatments for chemical weapons, including anthrax and nerve agents, to protect the population. Unfortunately, his research led to health issues and he died quite young. I never met my grandfather on my mother’s side.
Childhood in Edmonton
After my father completed his PhD in Chaos Theory, he was offered a position at the University of Alberta so they moved to Edmonton. My sister and I were both born and raised in Alberta. Growing up in Edmonton, my mother worked hard to teach us about the world and to expose us to different cultures. Both of my parents love to explore but it was difficult and expensive to travel. Instead, we hosted exchange students from all around the world in our home. We hosted students from Japan, Brazil, Thailand, Switzerland, South Africa and many other countries. They would come and live with us for varying lengths of time, from a month to a year, and I loved learning from them. They are part of my extended family. When I visited Bangkok, for example, I stayed with my Thai brother.
In Edmonton, I spent my childhood exploring the woods or, if I was a home, I was likely playing chess. As a teenager, I competed in chess tournaments and I was ranked in the top players in Alberta for my age group. In retrospect, my chess training may have helped my LSAT score. While I was in junior high school, my father was seconded to a university in France so we moved from Edmonton to Pessac. I loved living in France and, to this day, I love the French language.
After we moved back to Canada, I went to an academic junior high school and then joined the International Baccalaureate (IB) program in high school. My classmates were from all over the world, including England, Israel, China, and other countries. I was part of a tight study group and we would spend our evenings at the university medical library, buried in books. Our exams were sent to Geneva and my classmates have all gone on to do amazing things. I was fortunate to get university credit from my IB courses.
Ecuador, University and Japan
After graduating from high school in Edmonton, I moved to Ecuador where I completed a second high school diploma in Spanish. This time I was the exchange student, living in my host’s home. I lived in the same city of Esmeraldas, near the Colombian border. I was known as “El Gringo” because I was the only foreigner in the city. It was a magical time, right out of a GGM novel. I still have strong ties to Ecuador and my exchange family. To this day, I love helping my South American clients who are seeking to come north.
From 1995 to 1999, I studied at the University of Victoria and completed a B.A degree with a Major in Philosophy and a Minor in Hispanic Studies. During these 4 years at UVic, I became heavily involved in politics and student leadership. I became Student Coordinator of the Peer Helping Program, supervising the work of 45 Peer Helpers at the university. We were heavily involved on campus and part of the work that I did was to support international students.
After university, I moved to Japan and spent 3 years in Asia teaching English in a public junior high school on the JET program. It was a wonderful time where I taught in the classroom, studied Japanese and traveled throughout the continent. I would say that my time in Japan has greatly affected my sense of identity. To an extent, I am a teacher at heart. Even now, in my legal practice, I love to teach and empower my clients so they understand every step of the process.
DC & NYC
From Japan, I applied to join the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, and I was accepted. I worked on issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and, based on my proficiency in Spanish, I liaised with diplomats at the Organization of American States (OAS). At that time, I planned to join the Canadian foreign service (diplomat stream). My first placement would have been in west Africa. With the Ebola crisis, I decided to take a temporary contract in NYC with the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN). Another move. This time to Manhattan.
During my time in NYC, I worked on various project for the United Nations and I also worked in media. I was an Assistant Producer on YVote 2004 and Chat the Planet, which aired on MTV. Based on my time at the Canadian Embassy and seeing the amazing work done by the Department of Justice lawyers and my work at the UN, I made the decision to go to law school. So, I moved back to Canada and went to Queen’s University for my law degree.
Over the years, I have moved 24 times and lived on 4 continents. In 2013, I settled in Winnipeg and I work with an amazing team from all over the world. I am truly fortunate to meet people from different cultures and we have the privilege of helping our clients with their immigration issues.
