Believe that you can make a difference
New to the U.S. and adjusting to a new culture, Dario Casteñeda found his footing at Oakton College on his journey to becoming an immigration attorney. Integral to his experience, he founded chapters of UNICEF at Oakton and at his transfer institution, Loyola University-Chicago, where his impact lives on.
Here’s what he would share with students today:
“Believe in yourself and have confidence in your own abilities. You have unique perspectives that you bring to the table. I feel that self-belief is the foundation of being able to achieve anything, so just trust and believe in yourself. Secondly, make a difference. Try to see if you can make someone happy. If you can just make someone smile, if you can help someone in their moment of need; I think that’s something else that, again, when you’re helping someone else it will come back tenfold.”
A class assignment that propelled passion
A member of Oakton’s Honors Society and Student Ambassadors, Dario was challenged academically and as a developing leader.
“There was a philosophy class. I remember striving to do well in that class. I had a final paper where I think I was reading Nietzsche, and I worked so hard on it. I remember I got a B on the paper, and I was like ‘shoot why.’ I was also part of the Honor Society and there was a dinner that I attended. That professor was there and just out of the blue came to me like, ‘Dario, I saw all the work you put into it. I wanted to give you that A. I just think you missed a couple of points.’ And I remember, it really stuck with me because you just can’t give up. It was like, alright, I thought I did great. I was very happy with it, but that was a class that kind of instilled in me the fact that you just got to work hard and believe in yourself.”
Giving back and receiving so much more
Dario has gained professional experience in family-based immigration law, employment based immigration law, and removal defense. He is able to offer all three pillars at his firm, N400 Harbor Immigration Law.
“I feel that immigration law is the best field of law as far as you’re giving back and also receiving so much. When a client becomes a citizen, it’s the ultimate achievement.
Right now I feel my job as an immigration attorney is going to become much more crucial in the coming years. The change in administration will definitely have an impact. There’s going to be a lot of fear and uncertainty. So I think right now, I guess, in the next four years, I’m going to be trying to help and educate and represent as many people as I can to help them navigate the intricacies of the immigration system.”