I went to law school at age 56, and it was a great experience. I only regret not becoming a lawyer much earlier in my career. I graduated from the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia, in 2020, and am licensed in Illinois.
I had recently moved back to Wisconsin when I learned of the evacuation of Afghanistan in July 2021, and that thousands of evacuees would temporarily reside at Fort McCoy.
I realized that, most importantly, they would need legal help. U.S. immigration laws are more complicated than in the past when other groups of refugees arrived. I wanted to be a part of the clinic, and reached out to USCCB, which was responsible for legal clinics on eight military bases. I started out as a volunteer and was lucky to become the legal lead at Fort McCoy.