My name is Osiel Miranda and I was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. Brownsville is a U.S./Mexico border town next to Matamoros, Mexico.

Growing up in a border town, especially in the RGV (Rio Grande Valley), is a whole different world where cultures intertwine in both English and Spanish. I grew up speaking Spanish but, as I learned English, I would code switch (e.g., speak or write using both languages in the same sentence). Since English was difficult for me to learn, code switching would help me speak English better. It’s a skill not many can do and is not accepted at schools or in general.

At school, many students were undocumented or would have student visas. Those who had visas would wake up at 5 a.m. just so that they could make it to school on time. Those who were undocumented couldn’t go to games or attend university tours outside of the Valley due to the Customs and Border Patrol checkpoint and the fear of being deported since they had lived in the U.S. their whole lives.

I graduated from Texas State University with Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology. While attending Texas State, one of my professors introduced me to an Immigration Attorney who I shadowed and helped for a little while before COVID. It was then that I settled on working at an immigration-based law firm after graduating.

Lincoln Goldfinch Law was one of the first applications I submitted after graduating from the university. Before applying, I looked at their website and saw the team members’ bios and saw the happy clients they helped. I love helping those in need, especially within the realm of immigration. Working at the front desk I see clients’ expressions of gratitude, their stories, happy tears, etc. — all of this makes it worth the hard work to help clients gain legal status here in the U.S.

I was excited and happy to find out the Attorney I worked with while in school was now working at LGL. Now, I’m very excited to be a part of the Legal Team as a Paralegal.