The Pro Bono Spotlight honors Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) volunteers and the important work they do to help us fulfill our mission. This month, we recognize Minjae Oh, intern at Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL), where his work focuses on helping members of the community verify their eligibility for citizenship and complete and file their citizenship applications over the phone and in-person, in both Korean and English.
Minjae Oh joined Advancing Justice Southern California as an intern in October of 2021 through his university’s Joint Educational Project (JEP) program. As a rising senior at the University of Southern California, Minjae majors in Political Economy while double minoring in Business Law and Business Finance. Prior to interning with AJSOCAL, he interned at the Stanley Mosk courthouse in Downtown LA through the JusticeCorps program in which he was able to assist self-represented litigants who dealt with family law and housing law cases. Additionally, in 2022, Minjae was selected as one of the five members to represent USC and compete at the national level for the College Fed Challenge which is a team competition for undergraduate students. Minjae and his team made it to the semi-finals as they analyzed economic and financial conditions while formulating a monetary policy recommendation, modeling the Federal Open Market Committee. Currently (summer 2023), he is continuing his internship at AJSOCAL, where he plays a critical role in our Citizenship Project department. His multi-year commitment to our organization truly demonstrates what an intern superstar he is!
We asked Minjae to discuss his volunteer work with AJSOCAL:
What prompted you to get involved?
Since a young age, I have wanted to become a lawyer, but I never figured out what type of law I wanted to practice. I am still in the process of choosing a specific area of law I want to practice as a lawyer, and to help me with my decision-making process, I wanted to gain experience in the field of immigration law through AJSOCAL. I have experienced a variety of different fields through other internships such as family law and housing rights so when I heard about AJSOCAL through my university’s JEP program, I was genuinely intrigued.
What did you enjoy most about your pro bono experience?
I have had many different volunteer experiences throughout high school and college but the majority of the time I was doing basic administrative work in the back of the office, such as filing paperwork or sorting through client files. AJSOCAL has let me gain valuable experience in the office while impacting the community by interacting with clients one-on-one. I got trained to fill out the N-400 application by myself, which has allowed me to help clients personally and directly, while listening to their stories to include in the application. I think having more intimate and genuine relationships not only with clients, but also with staff, makes the whole experience at AJSOCAL not just enjoyable but also eye-opening.
What have you learned or how have you been personally affected by your experience as an Advancing Justice volunteer?
I joined AJSOCAL to help the communities around me, but through clients and staff, I am always humbled and inspired by their stories and passion. I realized that I am, perhaps, the one being assisted by the community to increase self-awareness and truly reflect who I really am. This internship has really helped me find my passion as a young scholar in the field. I also always thought the process to obtain citizenship was long and difficult, but after working with AJSOCAL, I realized the process is not impossible, and that I can help make the process easier for community members, especially those who primarily speak Korean. It also gives me hope as I work with clients because it makes me feel like I am impacting the community and making a change.
Do you have an inspirational story you can briefly tell about your pro bono experience?
After going through a long journey to receive my own green card, I am well aware of the anxiety and the stress that accompanies any immigration application process. But every AJSOCAL client I help never leaves the clinic without saying thank you with huge smiles, and many have told or texted me encouraging words afterwards. The clients are supposed to talk to AJSOCAL attorneys directly after the paperwork is done, but their reaching out to me and being appreciative afterward motivates me to keep doing what I am doing. They are my reminders that there is still so much good in this world and that I should never give up on helping others.
What advice would you give other associates who want to participate in pro bono work?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help since there are countless experienced attorneys and staff who want you to have the best experience volunteering or interning at AJSOCAL. And be proud of what you are doing because the clients are fully relying on you and grateful for your commitment.
To learn about volunteer opportunities at AJSOCAL, please email Nathan Vuong, Volunteer Operations Analyst at nvuong@ajsocal.org.
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About Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California
AJSOCAL is celebrating its 40th anniversary throughout the year of 2023 with a series of events that gather the community, amplify the forces of good and propel the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) movement forward. The anniversary builds upon the milestones of social justice that unified Asian Americans upon AJSOCAL’s founding in 1983. The non-profit is the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for AAPI. AJSOCAL serves more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year. Through direct services, impact litigation and policy advocacy AJSOCAL focuses on the most vulnerable members of AAPI communities while building a strong voice for civil rights and social justice. More info is at AJSOCAL.org
