Lidia Young

The citizenship test is the most unique test a person can ever take. The day of the citizenship interview is absolutely unforgettable. It is a mixture of excitement and fear, doubt and hope, tension and relief. Even though it was a few years ago, I still remember those feelings. Despite being a citizenship class teacher, I felt the whole range of emotions that all applicants do during the naturalization interview. However, everything went as anticipated, and I was able to breathe a big sigh of relief after a short 15-minute interview. Surprisingly, the naturalization process is very standardized. There are some strict requirements, and I cover all of them with my citizenship class students. However, the two most difficult aspects of the test are:

1) to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of U.S. history and government
2) to be able to read, write, and speak basic English

The fact that we practice all components of the test and interview during one or more quarters gives my students a lot of self-confidence. Many of them report that the test is easier than they expected. They also acknowledge that their confidence came from preparation. Because we practice reading, writing, and speaking in every class, students effortlessly answer six civics questions, read one sentence (usually a question), and write one sentence (normally the answer to the reading question) in the test.

I’m so grateful to be part of their success as I can teach them not only the content but also share my experience as an immigrant and a person who went through the naturalization process. Moreover, it is a tradition in my class that when a student passes all the tests, they share their experience with their classmates and answer questions. This motivates participants and boosts their learning ability. My students’ achievements make a difference in many peoples’ lives and have been inspiring me for five years of teaching the citizenship class. I started teaching this class in part to review the material for the civics test but ended up loving the program and always look forward to new students and new success stories.