Miguel

Miguel is intelligent, well-dressed, from a prestigious law school, and a summer associate at a large L.A. firm. Today, he was asked to be an advocate for the poor at a social services office on Skid Row. He, like his fellow associates, did a great job of approaching the clientele and doing what he could to help.

Late in the afternoon, Miguel came to me and my fellow supervisor, Julie, about a young lady who had been told some suspect information from the office workers. Miguel started to fill out an inquiry form when Julie noticed the young lady had left the office with her two male friends. Miguel informed us that he knew she was going to leave, and we suggested he might want to catch her to see if we could provide her with some help this afternoon, so he gave chase.

Soon, Miguel came back with the young lady, filled out the form, and submitted it for her. Before long, they were called to meet with the office staff. When Miguel came back to us, he had a huge smile and told us that they got her the money she needed today!

I’d love to have a picture of the happiness on Miguel’s face. I heard him say, almost more to himself than the rest of us, “Man, that feels good.”

Yes, it does. No matter who you are or where you come from, the ability to successfully stand up for someone who doesn’t have the ability to stand up for herself is a privilege that carries with it a feeling like no other.

I’m glad Miguel got to feel that feeling today.