UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Throughout the spring and fall 2025 semesters, the Penn State Dickinson Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (CIRC) did impactful work amid a changing landscape in immigration law and policy.
CIRC students assisted clients with numerous meaningful projects, including developing training for local educators and law enforcement officers, creating fact sheets detailing important updates in immigration law, and hosting community events to foster discussions on immigration law and policy.
“I greatly enjoyed my experience with CIRC, and it helped to teach me the importance of community outreach and education in a legal career. I saw firsthand how much of a difference this can make in the community and the lives it can change,” said Sydney Newby, who graduated in 2025. “CIRC has motivated me to take an immigration-focused mindset into my future career.”
A snapshot of the clinic’s community and policy work in 2025 includes:
- Continuing the longstanding relationship between CIRC and the Borough of State College, CIRC students developed and facilitated a training for law enforcement officers to help highlight relevant immigration laws and policy updates that members of the police force should be aware of. CIRC students presented this training twice to cover the entire police force.
- CIRC and the Borough of State College co-hosted an event, in collaboration with various Penn State entities, for the 60-year anniversary of the 1965 Immigration Act. Titled “The Immigration Act of 1965: 60 Years Later,” the event featured panelists who contributed their individual perspectives on the 1965 Immigration Act to facilitate a discussion on personal, national and global effects of the Act.
- CIRC assisted in updating the Borough of State College’s Community Resources for Serving Immigrant Residents webpage. Created in 2021, the webpage was updated to ensure the accuracy of the information listed and to include additional organizations committed to providing services to all residents.
- CIRC developed and delivered two trainings for the State College Area School District in partnership with Penn State’s Center for Education and Civil Rights, with one focused on information about immigration law and policy updates and the other focused on education to counselors about immigration law and policy and the questions immigrant students may have when entering higher education as it relates to tuition, scholarships and financial aid.
- CIRC members authored or co-authored 11 fact sheets in 2025 that address a variety of topics, including an FAQ for international students and recent developments related to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). All CIRC fact sheets can be found on CIRC’s website under the "Resources" tab.
“My time at CIRC has been an invaluable experience," said Tanner Cheek, who graduated in 2025. "It has offered me an opportunity to grow in an environment that is both supportive and challenging, involving real clients and real expectations of student competence. It has been one of the most professionally stimulating and rewarding experiences in my time at law school.”
The Penn State Dickinson Law Center for Immigrants’ Rights Clinic is a nationally recognized, in-house clinic that provides law students with hands-on clinic training in immigration law through three pillars: community outreach and education; pro bono legal support; and policy work. CIRC is directed by its founder, Clinical Professor of Law and Samuel Weiss Faculty Scholar Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, and has been training students for careers in immigration law since 2008.
“My experience at CIRC was one of the most meaningful and challenging parts of my time at Penn State Dickinson Law," said Hibah Hasan, who graduated in 2025. "The clinic is a great opportunity to gain legal research and drafting experience, client advocacy skills, and general immigration law knowledge,” “Under the incredible leadership and mentorship of Professor Wadhia, I was able to gain real-world legal skills while also making a difference in the immigrant community. I would strongly recommend CIRC to any student who is interested in immigration law or general public interest work.”