Please join us for a special presentation titled "The Process of Becoming A Citizen" by David P. Knutson, the Community Relations Officer from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). During the presentation, you will learn about the steps your student needs to take to achieve their Citizenship, understand important details about the process, and clarify any information you may find challenging. Please bring your student along too, as Mr. Knutson will be available for questions after the presentation. It is important to register you and your student (if they plan to attend) due to limited space. We recommend you attending even if you do not have a student pursuing Citizenship because it will be fascinating to learn about this honorable process!

Please mark your calendar for CLC's Annual Holiday Potluck on Tuesday, December 13th, 11:30-1:30 PM for the day students and their tutors, and 5:00-7:00 PM for the night students and their tutors.  Delicious fun and more information will follow in December's Tutor Talk.

Nancy Galway just witnessed her student, Tha Tay Paw, take her Oath of Citizenship in Durham.  Kudos to them both for all their hard work! I cannot imagine how emotional and joyous that ceremony was for them.   Below is  Nancy's moving account of the citizenship process with Tha Tay Paw. Please send your student's citizenship stories to me (a.reingold@cravenliteracy.org) because I would love to share them with all our tutors. 

  

By Nancy Galway

On Friday, October 28, I had the pleasure of witnessing Tha Tay Paw take her Oath of Citizenship at the US Citizenship and Immigration Service in Durham. For refugees, Burmese in this case, this in an awesome step in their lives. Tha Tay Paw has been studying to be a citizen for about 2 ½ years. She attends a weekly citizenship class offered through the Craven Literacy Council . She also takes a second class each week to study the English language. In all that time, she has missed maybe one of two classes, always arriving early with her beautiful smile and eagerness to learn.

Through Interfaith Refugee Ministry, Tha Tay Paw arrived in the U.S. on July 14, 2010, with her husband and three children. A fourth child was born here. She works in a part-time job as an office cleaner. Her husband works full-time for the Butterball Co. In addition to this, she has shown her dedication and desire to attend classes twice a week. The application process for citizenship is multi-fold. There is an 18-page 'Application for Citizenship' form to be completed, a challenge in itself. This is sent for review and if accepted, a notice is sent for the applicant to go to Durham for fingerprinting. After a waiting period, the applicant is given a date to go back to Durham. They then take the 'Interview Test' on reading, writing, history, government, and understanding verbal questioning. When that is passed, the third and final step is to go back to Durham to take the Oath of Citizenship, as happened on October 28.

 

There were 57 applicants representing about 40 countries, who had completed all the requirements. The Oath Ceremony consisted of short speeches, the Pledge of Allegiance, a video of American places and faces. There was also a video of the President welcoming and encouraging new citizens to observe their rights and responsibilities as naturalized citizens. The new citizens were asked to stand and be recognized as they received their 'Certificate of Naturalization'. Following that, there were many pictures, hugs, and yes, some happy tears.

 

What a privilege it was to be a witness to that solemn and happy occasion. Many thanks are due the Craven Literacy Council and all its supporters. They have the will, the desire, and the excitement to enable the process.