Seventeen-year-old Jeannette, from Guinea, struggled to find legal assistance to help her make her case for U.S. protection. She was scared to return to her home country but could not find a lawyer to help her. She was in despair, trying to accept the fact that without the ability to make her case before a judge, she would have to return to Guinea, where she feared for her safety, and had no one to care for her. Luckily, Jeannette was connected to KIND who helped her find a pro bono attorney - Bill Ecenbarger, who changed Jeannette's life forever. Bill talks below about his experience helping Jeannette as a pro bono attorney at KIND. You can also watch Bill and Jeannette talk about their experiences on KIND's YouTube Channel, www.youtube/supportkind.

What about Jeannette drew you to her and to her story?

Jeannette at the time was 17 years old and was essentially alone in this country. She really had nobody to advocate for her. She was scared and afraid of going back to Guinea. She felt, I think, helpless and, so I wanted to do whatever I could to help her out.

What was it like working with Jeannette?

Jeannette is probably one of the most pleasant people I've ever met. She is very hard-working; she is kind-hearted and helps other people whenever she can. I know from her involvement in some clubs and activities at her school. So it really is just a pleasure to work with Jeannette.

How important is this case to you?

It's very important. It is something I enjoy; it's something I am very proud of-being able to help somebody like Jeannette, who otherwise possibly would have been sent back to Guinea to an abusive and horrible situation. It's amazing to think of how different circumstances could be for Jeannette if KIND wouldn't have been able to assist her.

What was your immigration experience prior to working with KIND?

Well, I don't have much experience in immigration matters. The pro bono coordinator from KIND was always there-anytime I had a question. All along the way I felt supported; I never felt like I had gotten in over my head or anything like that. It was nice to have somebody there that I could consult if I needed some help.

What did you learn from working on this case, professionally and personally?

Working on Jeannette's case has broadened my horizons in terms of the legal work I do. In other words, though I do work  with children and youth in D.C., I hadn't had the opportunity to work too much on immigration issues. So, professionally it's opened up a different area of practice for me now that I know a little bit about immigration law, and particularly as it applies to minors in the U.S., specifically unaccompanied children. Personally, it has been such a pleasure to get to know Jeannette, to get to work with Jeannette, to be able to help her. I think what's so rewarding is being able to see how the work I've done has positively impacted Jeannette in such an immediate and practical way. She was facing deportation and likely returning to a very difficult, really dangerous, and scary situation in Guinea. Now, she is able to remain here in the U.S., go to school, and basically live the American Dream.

What would you like to say to people who do not know about KIND or the children we help?

I would say that I know I went to law school for all the right reasons-to help people. I would also say that there will never be the moment when you have a bunch of free time in your practice to take on a pro bono case; it's something that you have to aggressively decide to do. You have to say to yourself, "I am going to do this because it's something that matters to me and it's something that's important." So, I think  that  even though your schedule may be busy, you must make the time for it. It really is just an incredibly rewarding experience to be able to work with somebody, and it's hard to think of a more at risk class than children, youth, or minors who are in a different country where they might not speak the language; where they are in a legal system they don't understand; and they are frightened and alone. Just having somebody there to advocate for them makes all the difference in their lives, and it'll make all the difference in your life getting the opportunity to advocate for them.