University of Houston Class of 2020 student Mahin Ansari
April 1, 2020 - Mahin Ansari, who will graduate from the University of Houston Law Center and University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work in May, aspires to use the challenges she faced growing up and to apply them in a public interest law career.
“I plan on practicing immigration and family law,” she said. “I specifically want to represent clients who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking. I also want to represent clients who are seeking asylum in the United States.”
After staying at the Fort Bend Women's Center as a child, Ansari felt compelled to return to the organization and assist the people staying there.
“When I was seven years old, my mother, sister and I stayed at the Fort Bend Women’s Center’s shelter,” she said. “It was a difficult time for us and FBWC supported us. I always knew I wanted to give back to the organization.”
Ansari took an internship with Fort Bend Women's Center as her last social work field placement site.
“As a UH Graduate College of Social Work Trauma Fellow, I assist with clinical services, specifically neurofeedback therapy, for clients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result of intimate partner violence,” she said. “I have also been supporting FBWC in outreach efforts to provide clients with access to legal services.”
In her 1L year, Ansari worked as a case manager for a domestic violence agency catered to a specific immigration population. While there, she witnessed shortcomings between the services required and offered.
“Part of my role was referring clients to legal services,” she said. “One of the most challenging obstacles I faced was finding culturally competent attorneys to represent our clients. Many attorneys also lacked in survivor sensitivity.
“This pushed me towards immigration and family law. I want to continue serving this population, and I believe I can do this best through immigration and family law.”
Impressed with their interdisciplinary system of providing legal and social resources, Ansari interned with the Tahirih Justice Center in the summer of 2019.
“As a law and social work student, I believe both disciplines are necessary to effectively advocate for a client in need of immigration relief,” she said.
Her time at Tahirih taught Ansari how to interact with clients with dignity and respect, and she came to realize that aiding such people is a unique and prestigious opportunity.
“Tahirih clients have experienced some of the worst forms of abuse and violence,” she said. “They have often been hurt by people and the system, yet they trust us and disclose some of the most intimate details of their lives.
“It is a privilege to work with them. I want to constantly remind myself of this when working with survivors of trauma throughout my legal career.”
While at the Law Center, Ansari has enjoyed classes with Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson, the Newell H. Blakely Chair and director of the Criminal Justice Institute, and Clinical Associate Professor Lauren Simpson, both of whom she feels relate to their students on personal levels beyond the classroom.
“I was accepted to the UH Graduate College of Social Work when I was a 1L taking Professor Thompson's criminal law class,” Ansari said. “She was one of the first people I told, and she was very encouraging.
“I also really like Professor Lauren Simpson. I remember she brought us cookies during our first day of class. That is all it took for her to be one of my favorite professors! I also like that she loves nature and has a beautiful garden and shares that part of her life with her students.”
Ansari will take the bar exam in July. Afterward, she would like to work for a nonprofit organization that offers legal and social services.
“I'd like to stay in public interest working with survivors of violence in immigration and family law,” Ansari said. “Immigrant survivors face many different obstacles in becoming independent. I'd like to do as much as possible to help.”
