A new year is upon us, and with it the possibility of new beginnings. This week we are inspired by an individual who has had many new beginnings in his life: new U. S. citizen Maxwell Chikuta, formerly of the Democratic Republic of Congo. We understand the challenges of new beginnings better with Susan Roche, Legal Director of the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.
Guests
Maxwell Chikuta
Maxwell Chikuta is a devoted community member and dedicated volunteer with various community organizations. Maxwell was born and raised in Kolwezi, Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He arrived here in Portland, Maine in 2003 without any formal education, but he is now a holder of a Masters degree in Public Policy Management and Finance, and he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. at Walden University. Maxwell’s devotion to his community is a way of giving back through the generous people that helped and inspired him to be a good citizen. In his own words “to be where I am today; I was inspired, mentored and helped by so many good people in my community. Now it’s my turn to look back and see how I can inspire others through my involvements in my community; that’s why I volunteer with so many organizations in my community.”
Susan Roche
Our second featured guest is Susan Roche, Legal Director at Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project.
Sue joined ILAP as a Staff Attorney in August 2000 and became Supervising Attorney in 2003. In March 2011, she became ILAP’s Legal Director. In addition to handling her own case load of full representation cases, Sue supervises attorney and paralegal staff and directs ILAP’s legal work. Sue graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in 2000. She is an expert on family based immigration, remedies for noncitizen domestic violence and crime victims, removal defense, and has been an invited presenter at regional and national conferences of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Sue is admitted to the Maine Bar and is fluent in Spanish.