Below is a blog post shared by a former PIE student, Talitha Krenk. Talitha studied with us in 2016, one of the first sessions that the PIE program was open!

Talitha has since received her degree from IU Indianapolis’ McKinney School of Law, passed the Bar exam, and owns her own immigration law firm in Indianapolis, Krenk Law. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments. 

I am Talitha Krenk, Attorney licensed in Brazil and in the USA, founder of Krenk Law an immigration law firm located in Indiana. I am also a PIE 2016 Alumni.

In 2016, I immigrated to Indianapolis because I got married with an American citizen from this state. I was an Attorney in Brazil and wanted to get licensed and continue my career in the United States. I had studied English in Brazil, but my language skills were not good enough to start law school in the USA. I reached out to the IU Law School, and they introduced me to the PIE Program.

The PIE program was essential for developing my academic and language skills and I could use the certificate as a language requirement to be accepted into IU McKinney School of Law.

I still remember how I enjoyed the program and how I met students from all over the world. The classes helped with my speaking and grammar, which are essential skills for an attorney. Also, the PIE program helped me to understand more the American culture and to make my first friends in the country. The professors were very nice and wanted to make sure you understood English and the American culture. I used to love the field trips.

After graduating the PIE Program, I was accepted into Indiana University McKinney School of Law. In 2018, I finished the Master of Laws cum laude and was one of the recipients of the IUPUI Elite 50 award, an award given to the best 50 students from the graduate programs.

Then, I continued my journey to become a licensed attorney in the USA. I finished my Juris Doctor in 2022 and passed the Bar Exam in 2023. During Law school and worked for the Indiana Attorney General and some law firms in Indiana.

In 2024, I opened my own immigration law firm in Indiana (www.krenklaw.com) . Today, I work with clients from all 50 states and around the world helping them to achieve their American dreams. Every day, I still remember all the dreams I had when I moved to the United States when I see my clients happy after their cases are approved.

I am very grateful to the PIE for guiding me in the beginning of my journey and I recommend this program to everyone who wants to study English in the USA.