Orgesi Pandeli

Attorney Orgesi Pandeli grew up against the limits of his communist home country. Early on, he witnessed profound suffering firsthand—from food scarcity and rationing, regularly standing in line for hours at 5 AM just to get bread and milk, to seeing people being punished for speaking their minds or holding religious and political beliefs that didn’t align with dominant narratives. When he was 8 years old, both of his parents were laid off from their jobs because of their political beliefs. This jump-started his working life so he could do his part to help the family put food on the table.

Against this backdrop, from a young age, Attorney Pandeli saw the United States as the land of dreams, a hotbed of freedom and opportunity. However, when he arrived, he soon realized that it wasn’t as wonderful as Hollywood depicted it. As a teenager trying to make ends meet he worked a slew of jobs: at cornfields and restaurants, flea markets and golf courses, whatever he could find. He also got a firsthand glimpse at the immigration maze--negotiating at the embassy, attempting to stitch together all the required documents, while feeling at a loss for support and guidance.