"Vanessa's praises are sung in rooms she doesn't even know about" -Emily B M

I spent four (4) years working under Prof. Merton in the Immigration Justice Clinic at Pace Law School, as it was called at the time.
I sent her several emails my first year, asking to get involved right away, but she thought I would need my introductory courses first.
So I just showed up at the clinic one day, offered to work as a part time work-study student, and never left.
I stayed for my entire four years. I was in the part time program so my time in the IJS was prolonged. It was the best education I could ever receive.
I got real experience and argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. I traveled with Vanessa to Georgia and to Washington, D.C. and felt what true advocacy feels like.
Vanessa Merton taught me everything I know about immigration law, ethics, and legal writing.
She was and continues to be one of my greatest inspirations. Prof. Merton was a fabulous educator. Her hands-on approach to everything forced me to work at my optimum capacity at all times. I have changed the course of so many lives because of the skills Prof. Merton developed in me. For that gift, I am eternally grateful.
I spoke at a high school graduation ceremony a couple years ago, and told the story of my greatest mentor, Vanessa Merton, and how much she inspired me to be a better human being. Vanessa's praises are sung in rooms she doesn't even know about. Vanessa will always be a majestical force in my life. She changed me, forever, for the better.
Vanessa is one of those amazing people in life, whose actions never die, but live on in the positive ways she has affected others.
Thank you for everything you have given me and countless others!

Emily B M