Hector Quiroga

I don’t ever remember a time when I did not want to be an attorney. I grew up in Colombia, both my parents were attorneys. My father practiced and served in the Colombian Supreme Court. I thought everything they did, everything they talked about was fascinating. I planned on following my parents’ routes to a legal career but the well-chronicled events in Colombia that culminated in civil war interfered. I immigrated to the United States in January, 2000. It was hard. I left behind my family, culture, and heritage. But, I never left behind the goal of being a lawyer. I learned English at the University of Texas, worked, learned more about the United States, more English, worked some more in a variety of jobs, listened, watched. Ultimately, over my first nine years in the United States, I was able to put myself through Gonzaga University, where I graduated with honors from both the undergraduate and law school programs. Along the way, I also become a business owner, a homeowner, a husband, a father, a writer, and finally, a United States citizen. I’m clear proof that despite the obstacles – and they are very much there – there is path to the American Dream for an immigrant who wants it. I’m here to help in any way I can.