BLOG | Ian Lee
Against All Odds
June 1, 2020
I would be lying if I said there were not any blind or visually impaired lawyers in fact, I know some already. Their journey, as well as mine, has been a difficult one. For me, it has always been an uphill battle, even though the world is becoming more accepting of people’s differences. Nonetheless, I am remaining resilient. My visual impairment has not stopped me from graduating high school, and I am determined to finish college and one day attend law school. At the end of high school, I was a bit lost. In fact, a part of me started to believe those who doubted me. However, I was accepted into a program called, “Law School Yes We Can” (LSYWC). Through this program, I was provided mentors that have given me amazing advice and opportunities that I would not even know about, and for that, I am truly grateful. They have given me the opportunities and the tools to make my dreams reality. I would like to personally thank my mentors for helping guide me through this time of transition in my life.
College has been an eye opening experience. The world is so much bigger than I knew it could be, and I am meeting a ton of new people. Although I am not the best at making connections with others, I would hear their stories and listen to what they must go through. Regardless oftheir ethnicity, financial background, or political ideology. They all have a reason to be here educating themselves. College has taught me that that everyone has their own difficulties. But what is important is that we show compassion to one another. We are all fighting our own battles.
These difficulties have inspired me to help those who cannot advocate for themselves. Although the world has been unfair to me, it does not mean it has to be unfair to others. I am determined to use my story and inspire those who, like me, once doubted themselves. In the words of John Milton, “To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.” I am not a victim of my circumstances; I am greater than them.
“Sí, Se Puede” is a phrase born of farmworkers, who, under the leadership of the UFW, César Chávez, and Dolores Huerta, fought valiantly for equal protection under the law. As a result of the efforts of the UFW, “Sí, Se Puede” has become well known as a call that engenders hope and inspiration in those who face similar battles. We thank the UFW, whom we acknowledge to be the sole and exclusive owner of the Trademark SI SE PUEDE, for granting us a limited license to use“Sí, Se Puede” in connection with our efforts to recruit, in Colorado, students of Hispanic or Latino descent for our law school pipeline program. For more information about the programs offered by the UFW, please see UFW’s webpage (www.ufw.org); UFW Foundation’s webpage (www.ufwfoundation.org); and UFWF’s immigration services webpage (www.sisepuede.org)