On February 9th at Schuyler Central High School in the auditorium, an Immigration Clinic met with fourteen individual students who had questions about immigration and talked about helping make the immigration process easier. Tavia McAlister, the UNL student who organized the clinic, wrote a research paper about immigration in the previous year and used the Schuyler Central High School to conduct some of her research. Brandi Zavadil, the EL Program Director and SCHS Instructional Coach, met with Tavia a few times and Tavia came up with the idea to put on a clinic with the help of fellow law students. Tavia, Mason, and their professors came in January to present to the students so they were able to sign up for a meeting time. The Immigration Clinic purpose was to educate people about the immigration system even if it may not apply to them. 

Tavia McAlister was a daughter of an immigrant from Brazil. Tavia went on to explain how her father “came to the United States alone, without a dollar in his pocket, and faced many challenges after moving here, including dealing the immigration system.” Tavia’s mother attended law school and was able to learn how to help Tavia’s father. Tavia’s family’s personal story has led her to go to law school. “This project is very close to my heart that I can relate to and empathize with many of the stories of students at Schuyler,” commented Tavia.