Claudia’s Story

Overcoming Obstacles and Building a New Life

With her 91-year-old father in the audience, Claudia proudly walked across the stage and accepted her LL.M. (Master of Laws) from Mitchell Hamline School of Law last May. 

“On this day, I knew how big my accomplishment was. I felt really, really proud of myself,” she fondly remembered the moment. 

As an attorney in Argentina, Claudia’s journey to her degree in the U.S. took decades of hard work, perseverance, and the drive to better her and her family’s lives.

In 2001, Argentina was experiencing an economic crisis and depression, causing Claudia to leave her home country with her 9-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter. Her husband, and father of her children, arrived to the U.S. one year prior and had a connection to Minnesota from friends, so Claudia and her husband chose to settle their family here. 

“It was destiny. We felt safe here,” she said.

Helping the community

Despite speaking very little English, Claudia’s Spanish speaking ability landed her an office assistant position at a school in south Minneapolis with a large Hispanic population. While still working other part-time positions, Claudia found a purpose at the school as she became a liaison between the Hispanic community and the school’s non-Spanish speaking staff.

“I became an important person at the school,” she shared. “This gave me a lot of good things in my life, because I feel the Hispanic people needed me and I was able to help people like me. People with the same issues I have.”

Yet, she still wanted to get back into jurisprudence. So, in 2014, she took evening classes, while working, and received her paralegal certificate at Mitchell Hamline.

She worked at an immigration law firm for two years afterward, which allowed her to “connect with people like me (immigration clients), plus use my legal knowledge.”

In 2018, Claudia started her own business doing legal translation, but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, she was forced to shut it down.

The institute gave me all the tools, gave me everything.

Feeling desperate, she Googled how to improve her English and found the International Institute of Minnesota and enrolled in the College Readiness Academy (CRA) program.

While taking the college readiness class at the Institute, Claudia’s instructor informed her about a program at Mitchell Hamline that offers scholarships to international law students. Her instructor connected Claudia with a judge who volunteered at the Institute to help with the application, and she was soon accepted into the Masters of Law program.

“The institute gave me all the tools, gave me everything,” Claudia shared. 

Master of Laws

Walking into the classroom on the first day, she immediately wanted to leave. The class was full of students who were decades younger and more fluent in English than Claudia, but she stayed and persevered.

“It was a huge opportunity for me to study what I want and have opportunity to work in the future,” she said about the program. “I knew I had to move fast because I had to compete with people my children’s age.”

Again, she worked while attending school, going to class in between shifts and studying at all hours. While she easily understood the legal concepts she was studying, she still struggled with writing. She emailed her three children everything she wrote for school as they helped her improve her English writing.

As the year went on and her stress swelled, Claudia reached out to her college readiness instructor at the Institute for guidance who reassured and encouraged Claudia by telling her, “I gave you this opportunity because I knew you could do it.”

With her teacher’s words of encouragement and her family’s support, Claudia persisted.

For two years, Claudia said she never went outside. “I was always on the computer. All I did was study and work.”

Receiving her diploma

Her hard work paid off as she received her LL.M. at the age of 61 with her family in attendance. Her father, who always pushed Claudia to study and go to school, traveled from Argentina to witness his daughter’s momentous achievement.

After receiving her diploma, Claudia told her dad, “I’m not only happy for me, but happy for you, because you always wanted me to study. I am doing this because of you.”

She has since returned to the Institute to take the Professional Leadership Training to get a better understanding of the American workplace culture, and citizenship classes.

“The Institute is a fantastic place because they have many connections,” Claudia shared.

She valued meeting others from across the world at the Institute and having the “opportunity to listen and hear from others and learn about them.”

“The Institute inspires everybody. Doesn’t matter if you’re there for one class or many. To have a place where they are open for vulnerable people like immigrants and refugees is fantastic.”

Although she’s not a fan of the cold weather, Claudia’s family all now live in Minnesota where they feel safe and at home.

The Institute is a fantastic place because they have many connections.

She works for Hennepin County’s housing stability program, where she helps find homes for those in need.

In 2024, Claudia received her green card and now dreams of becoming a citizen in four years. Even at the age of 61, she is always looking ahead.

“I never think in the present, I always look to the future. I always dream. I dream more than I can.”