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Making a Difference Houston lawyers make a difference daily in the lives of pro bono clients and those they help through extensive volunteer work in the community. THL looks at two of the ways lawyers have had a big impact on people.
Young Zheng: By Hannah Sibiski Flash back to March 2005, when Young Zheng was 16 years old and about to be deported to China. Back when Young was so frightened that the smugglers who brought him to America would torture and kill him if he returned to China that he banged his head repeatedly against an airport wall until he passed out rather than get on the flight. Back when Young said he would rather die in the U.S. than die in China. Now move to April 2005, when Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. attorneys with little to no immigration experience volunteered to take Young’s case. Shift forward to summer, when a team of Fulbright attorneys and summer clerks worked incessantly to secure relief from deportation in the federal courts. Then go to fall, when, crisis point passed, the Fulbright team began the long process of obtaining statutory relief from deportation for Young. Now jump to 12:01 a.m., April 23, 2007, Young’s 18th birthday, when Fulbright attorneys picked him up from government detention with a birthday cake. When Young made his wish, blew out his candles, and went home to his new family. Move to summer, when the U.S. government granted Young a green card. Now flash forward to May 2008, when Young attended his first prom and graduated with honors from a Houston high school, voted by his classmates as the top male student of their graduating class. Then come to the present—May 2009—when, four years after the day Young wanted to die here, he is, instead, living here. And what a life he has made. A freshman biology major at Texas A&M who never misses a football game (or many midnight yells), Young is focused on getting into medical school and enjoying college life. His spring semester was full of March Madness (he was in three brackets), labs, classes, Bible study, Break-Away church services, and plans for his future. While the teenager in standard-issue detention clothing is now a young adult in hip glasses and cool jeans, Young is the same special person who captured our hearts and our minds four years ago. His smile is still infectious; his faith is still unshakeable; and his story is still inspiring his lawyers, who continue to represent immigrants in pro bono cases.
The HBA Special Olympics Committee: Hillary Kern has been playing tennis and participating in other events at Special Olympics tournaments for the past seven years. Tennis is far and away her favorite sport, although she loves basketball, bocce ball, and just about any other sport she tries. Hillary plays both singles and doubles tennis, and modestly reports that she has won “a few medals.” Hillary says that Special Olympics offers her much more than a chance to compete in tennis tournaments. She says that the best thing about Special Olympics is that “you have fun – you get to hang out with friends and socialize and play.” And she’s not just talking about a handful of weekends a year – most Special Olympics teams practice year-round, offering athletes and their families a weekly opportunity to share information and support as well as to have fun and spend time with friends. Hillary’s mother, Barbara Kern, explains that Special Olympics and the year-round relationships and opportunities it fosters simply would not be possible without volunteers like the lawyers who volunteer through the HBA Special Olympics committee. With sports for every level of athlete, Barbara says that Special Olympics “gives athletes the opportunity to shine and be themselves.” She credits Special Olympics as giving the athletes an “experience without any barriers” that lasts well beyond the games themselves. From decorations to cheering, from opening ceremonies to each race and game, the volunteers make that experience possible. Hannah Sibiski is an associate at Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. and a member of The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board.
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