Congratulations to our Post-J.D. Fellow Ethan Higa ’21 on completing his two-year fellowship! It was great to see so many of the RILC ‘ohana turn out to celebrate Ethan and his many achievements over the last two years.

Notably, Ethan helped stand up RILC’s Temporary Protected Status practice in response to the crises in Afghanistan, Burma, and Ukraine, helping a total of 22 clients with their TPS applications in the last year alone.

He also supported Professor Egan and Professor Yoo, clinical law students, and pro bono attorneys as they worked on 8 removal defense cases, serving a total of 16 individuals; several BIA appeals; affirmative asylum cases benefitting 25 asylum seekers; and over a dozen cases involving unaccompanied children.

In the last year, Ethan, along with Kevin Block and Professor Yoo, taught a CLE on asylum law and practice for 50 attorneys and law students. He also supported our law students as they organized and led a Know Your Rights workshop about Immigration Court in Kona, benefitting 20 participants, as well as naturalization and DACA workshops in West O’ahu, benefitting 25 participants.

Ethan’s work has touched the lives of countless individuals and law students. His positive attitude and hard work ethic have endeared him to so many of our clients, who come to us in some of their most difficult moments.

Mahalo nui, Ethan. We look forward to seeing you become a leader in our field and cheering all that you will continue to contribute to Hawai’i and our community throughout a long, fulfilling, and joyful career!