Torbetha is a former Refugee Transitions student and now our summer intern. She recently passed her citizenship exam, along with her mother and sister!  She is pictured below with her family and volunteer Debbie Brown (far right) who helped Esther, Torbertha's mother, prepare for the citizenship exam. 

My name is Torbertha Torborn. I was born and raised in West Africa, Liberia. I came to the United States in 2004 with my family because there were wars in my country.

I am currently a 4th year student at the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in Social Welfare with a concentration in Public Health and an intended major or minor in Anthropology. I am also a current intern at Refugee Transitions and feel fortunate to be in this position because their programs are what equipped me for college and helped my family and me adjust to American culture and society.            

In addition to helping my family adjust to American society, a Refugee Transitions volunteer also assisted my mother in studying for the naturalization test. Very recently, my mom, my older sister, and I passed the test together and we're now citizens of the United States! During the citizenship ceremony, I was very emotional - both sad and happy at the same time. Sad because my family and I had come a very long way and had experienced many hardships on our journeys. Happy because, despite these hardships, we all have become well-rounded people and are very focused on pursuing the great opportunities and overcoming any challenges in store for us in the United States. 

To read the rest of Torbetha's story, please visit our blog! 

Matt O'Brien, The Oakland Tribune 

Jane Tyska, Bay Area News Group/East Bay

"The life of Shreya will be much more better than ours," said Leela Mainali, exhausted but smiling after her daughter's birth. "She will be no more refugee now. She is an American citizen."