From Undocumented Nanny to a Lawyer

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From Nanny to Lawyer

Born and raised in Guatemala, Mintz was only 17 when she found herself with an abusive husband and a baby girl. Her only chance for a better life she felt lay across the border in the United States living with her brother in Houston and so she came not knowing a word of English.

-"I think that was the lowest point in my life."

The only job she could find was cleaning office buildings for 13 hours a day.

-"That must be humbling"
-"Yes, there were many people that would completely ignore you and think nothing of you."

Working as a nanny she started learning English by reading baby English books with the ABC.

-"So I was playing with him and all those baby toys I was learning myself."

With a dictionary, Mintz began to tackle larger books and her employer eventually suggested she consider school so she headed to HCC and became not just a student but vice president of its honor society. Silvia then got a scholarship to come here to the University of St. Thomas where she studied something she had always been interested in political science. Still when Mintz finally approached a professor about getting her teaching license she was shocked by his response.

He said "have you thought about law school?" and I sat there and I thought he was teasing and I'm like, me, a lawyer? and he said "yeah...".