Background
Alex is the product of immigrants from all over the world.
His family’s immigration story began in multiple countries, and his ancestors trace to almost every continent (according to 23andMe). Alex’s maternal grandfather came to the U.S. via Argentina, after his family fled persecution in what is now western Ukraine. His maternal grandmother’s family came from Austria. Alex’s paternal great-grandparents (see photo at right) immigrated from Galicia (now Poland) and France, as well as Africa (country unknown), England, and Germany.
Alex’s love for other cultures arose as a teenager visiting his relatives in France. After returning to the U.S., Alex washed dishes to save for his next trip abroad… and the rest is history. The first legal work Alex ever prepared was his wife’s immigrant visa application. Now, she is a first-generation U.S. citizen!
Alex knows the immigrant experience.
Alex lived in China for six years and speaks, reads, and writes Mandarin. He earned Masters degrees in International Relations and International Law from the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies and Nanjing University, obtained language certifications from Beijing Foreign Studies University, and also studied medicine at Chengdu Traditional Chinese Medicine University and Shaolin gongfu in Dengfeng, China. He has B.A. degrees from The Pennsylvania State University in East Asian Studies (Honors) and Philosophy. His law degree is from The Pennsylvania State University Law School.
Before practicing immigration law, Alex clerked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, D.C. and Vinson & Elkins in Shanghai, China. Alex is also certified as a mediator and practiced community mediation for the Penn State University Sustainability Institute.