2022 was quite an exciting and challenging year for me. I continued working as a client advocate at the Harris County Public Defender’s office here in Houston, Texas. My work as a client advocate really varies from day to day. One day I will spend three plus hours in the jail visiting clients and getting documents signed, the next I will be with a coworker driving around town as we assist a client transitioning into a substance use treatment program, and other days I never leave my desk as I check emails and make phone calls. What has been challenging about this role is that most of the time clients do not get favorable outcomes in their cases and as a result so many aspects of their lives are impacted. There are some days filled with amazing news of charges being dropped and clients reunited with families, but most end with sentences or heavy parole requirements that make it impossible to move on from their case. Despite these emotional highs and lows I really am so grateful to be in this position and working in this role as it has prepared me well for my future career as a public defender. I also got the opportunity to be a guest on a podcast Public Defenseless where I spoke about my job as an advocate and the Harris County Public Defender's Office. It was my first time on a podcast and it was a really cool experience.

Besides work, a lot of this year I spent on my law school applications. I re-took the LSAT two times and finally finished applying to all my schools by December 1st. I have begun hearing back from a few and so far have been very excited by the news. Just this week I found out I was accepted into NYU School of Law! I am so grateful for the support I received from my mentors, professors, friends and family during this process. And I also am grateful for the support and opportunities MVYouth provided me throughout my four years of undergrad and beyond.