My name is Kseniya Zavala. I was born and raised in Minsk, Belarus, and I have been in the United States for about three years now. I guess, my way to the US was a long path through education and achievements, step by step, little by little.

I believe I took my first step at the age of 8, when my mother pulled me out of the local music academy in the middle of the school year and placed me into a school with an English language major. I did not know back then that eventually the English language would open the doors of the world for me. Thank you, Mom!

After my first year of college, I came to the US for the first time. My parents borrowed money so that I could participate in the summer Work and Travel Program in the USA.  It was a novelty at that time, and no one knew anything about jobs and locations. Several dozen young students simply boarded a plane in Minsk and flew off to New York City. After a one day orientation, we were all sent off on our own to find our own way in a new and strange country. That summer I found myself in North Carolina working two minimum wage jobs, and wishing that I did not have any time off at all. During that summer I came to realize that personal freedom was very much related to financial independence. I started to admire this country which gives opportunity to everyone, or at least to everyone who is willing and able to pull themselves up and work hard.

Even after two summers in the United States, I still had no desire to leave my beloved Belarus. I had studied hard for years in order to be admitted to the International Law Department of the best school in the country. But once I reached my goal, I looked around and began to realize how hollow and fake everything around me had become. Here I was studying law and international diplomacy in a country which was systematically abandoning the rule of law. I saw how everything I was learning was a lie, how the “law” was increasingly controlled by bribes and political favors. Coming to the end of my university studies, I realized it would be virtually impossible to find a job related to my education.  So, I began to research every possible opportunity for a scholarship to study abroad. I applied everywhere I could, sending out dozens of letters and countless emails. My friends laughed at my efforts, saying that I was just wasting time. My victory finally came when I received a full scholarship and stipend to attend the prestigious Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary.

After Central European University, new paths opened up for me. I was awarded a second scholarship for study in the United States. I attended the George Washington University School of Law in Washington, DC. After CEU, law school in the U.S. did not seem that complicated. I graduated in 2005, passed the New York State bar exam, and became a licensed U.S. attorney.   My friends back in Minsk stopped laughing at me a long time ago. Now, they are asking me how to apply to schools abroad.

I met my husband in Budapest where we attended school together. He is American. We graduated from law school at the same time. It was hard. Neither of us had a job, and we were living on the last of his student loans. But slowly things improved. I found a job in an international non-profit organization, then he began to work in a law firm. Soon enough he found a better job, so we moved. I followed him, changing my life once again. Life together is often about compromises.  We now live in Santa Fe, a distinctive artist colony in New Mexico, surrounded by mountains and the desert.

I have been always interested in immigration law, and through years of education I prepared myself for an immigration law career. When we settled in New Mexico, I was shocked to discover that there were very few immigration attorneys in the area and that immigrants had to drive hundreds of miles to get legal advice. Taking yet another risk, I started my own immigration law firm.

Out on my own, I finally appreciated 20 years of studies and schooling. As a solo attorney, I have to be both businesswoman and lawyer. In addition to my legal duties, I do my own marketing, web-design, and accounting. But there is still so much to learn! I am now taking Spanish lessons in order to communicate with my Spanish-speaking clients without an interpreter.

I know from my own experience the pains and difficulties of being an immigrant. For those reasons, I work hard to make the immigration process as easy as possible for my clients. I work flexible hours and use all the modern means of communication, so that I can stay in touch with clients around the state and around the world at any time. I sometimes find myself on the phone at 2 o’clock in the morning trying to resolve a problem in Europe or India.

I would not say it is easy to go on your own. It is hard and often frustrating. There is always too much to do and too little time. But I am proud of what I have achieved so far and what I may achieve in the future. From my little office in the mountains, I can reach out to all countries. I can discover the needs, worries, and concerns of immigrants from all over the world. And I can help them. I am happy to see that my work is needed, respected and appreciated.

I wish you all to find your own distinctive path. Starting your life in a new country from the very beginning is hard. But it is so rewarding one day to realize that you’ve achieved something on your own.

Very truly yours,

Kseniya Zavala

P.S. Please visit my web-site at www.kzavalalaw.com