I started the new semester by coordinating an AARCC service event where UIC students volunteered at a citizenship workshop hosted by the Korean
American Resource and Cultural Center (KRCC), the Indo-American Center (IAC),
and the Muslim Women Resource Center (MWRC) on January 26th.
This event hit close to home since I became a naturalized citizen through my mother. The students and I attended a training hosted by World Relief on a cold and dreary Thursday night. World Relief employees gave us a quick run-down on how to fill out the N-400 forms, since our main responsibility would be to assist the applicants fill out their own forms at the workshop.
Throughout the training and workshop, I could not help but reflect on my own experience of being an immigrant and becoming naturalized. Even though I did not personally fill out the N-400 forms for myself, or go to the immigration interview with my mom, or take the citizenship oath myself – I remember the extremely long process it took for my parents to go from H-1 Visa holders in 1995, to permanent residents, to finally becoming US citizens (dual citizens at that, we are still citizens of India as well).
As a child, I remember how every once in a while we would take random road trips to really boring offices to get our fingerprinting done for our Green card applications. At the time, I had no idea why I was stamping my finger to a piece of paper, or the importance of doing so. I didn’t not know that those trips were the reason I was still living in the United States, that those trips were essential for my dad to keep his job.
And then in 2001 when the economy took a plunge, the day my parents feared the most finally came. Our permanent resident status was still in the working and with my dad’s visa about to expire - and he was laid off of work. Luckily the rough patch we hit was a short one (it seemed like years at the time), but eventually he was granted permanent residency, and got a new job (yay!).
Around 2007 or 2008, my parents began the process of applying for citizenship. They relied mostly on their family friends, my brother, and me when it came to filling out the forms and studying for their interview. My mom was the first to get any response about her interview date and such. I still remember quizzing her a few times a week so that she could ace her interview questions! Once she did just that, she was given a date to come in for her oath.
I still remember the day of my mom’s oath ceremony pretty well. The morning started off with me getting in a huge argument with her because she wanted me to come that morning so I could see her take the oath, and me being the brat I was, told her I wanted to sleep in. Now, my mom can be pretty persuasive, I can get my way with my dad – but my mom is another story. I kept yelling at her, telling her how I didn’t care about her taking the oath, that it wasn't going to teach me anything, and that I just wanted to sleep more. She retaliated saying that I needed to come, just to see what it would be like, that it was going to be an important moment in her life and mine.
Eventually I quit being a brat and we drove to the University of St. Francis in Joliet for the event. We got to the auditorium to find that there were old people, young people, and people of all races and ethnicities They were all there, eager to change their lives forever. My dad and I watched as they all stood up and began to say the magical words, "I hereby declare, on oath..." to become official citizens of the United States. To me, it was one of those spine-tingling moments!
That’s why once I got to the workshop, I was once again happy to see a diverse group of people. People who spoke a variety of languages, of different ages, of different religions, cultures, races, etc. were there to take their first step in becoming a citizen. Each person was there with a different story and reason for being there.
It was such an awesome opportunity to work with KRCC, IAC, and MWRC. They welcomed all the volunteers with a smile, served us breakfast, and lunch. They were very accommodating to first-time volunteers, telling us that filling out the forms was actually not a big ordeal, and told us to ask any and all questions that popped into our heads. At the end of the day, all the volunteers got to help out at least one person fill out their N-400 forms, which was my personal goal for the event! This was probably my favorite service event thus far. It was one of the few that I felt like I was making an actual difference in the person’s life, and it is also one that I was able to relate to.
So, if you want to make a direct difference in someone’s life, you should sign up to volunteer at a citizenship workshop! There are quite a few held right by UIC every month, and once you attend the training once – you never have to again!
Here are some resources if you are interested in getting involved with the immigrant rights movement/volunteering at the workshops:
This event hit close to home since I became a naturalized citizen through my mother. The students and I attended a training hosted by World Relief on a cold and dreary Thursday night. World Relief employees gave us a quick run-down on how to fill out the N-400 forms, since our main responsibility would be to assist the applicants fill out their own forms at the workshop.
Throughout the training and workshop, I could not help but reflect on my own experience of being an immigrant and becoming naturalized. Even though I did not personally fill out the N-400 forms for myself, or go to the immigration interview with my mom, or take the citizenship oath myself – I remember the extremely long process it took for my parents to go from H-1 Visa holders in 1995, to permanent residents, to finally becoming US citizens (dual citizens at that, we are still citizens of India as well).
As a child, I remember how every once in a while we would take random road trips to really boring offices to get our fingerprinting done for our Green card applications. At the time, I had no idea why I was stamping my finger to a piece of paper, or the importance of doing so. I didn’t not know that those trips were the reason I was still living in the United States, that those trips were essential for my dad to keep his job.
And then in 2001 when the economy took a plunge, the day my parents feared the most finally came. Our permanent resident status was still in the working and with my dad’s visa about to expire - and he was laid off of work. Luckily the rough patch we hit was a short one (it seemed like years at the time), but eventually he was granted permanent residency, and got a new job (yay!).
Around 2007 or 2008, my parents began the process of applying for citizenship. They relied mostly on their family friends, my brother, and me when it came to filling out the forms and studying for their interview. My mom was the first to get any response about her interview date and such. I still remember quizzing her a few times a week so that she could ace her interview questions! Once she did just that, she was given a date to come in for her oath.
I still remember the day of my mom’s oath ceremony pretty well. The morning started off with me getting in a huge argument with her because she wanted me to come that morning so I could see her take the oath, and me being the brat I was, told her I wanted to sleep in. Now, my mom can be pretty persuasive, I can get my way with my dad – but my mom is another story. I kept yelling at her, telling her how I didn’t care about her taking the oath, that it wasn't going to teach me anything, and that I just wanted to sleep more. She retaliated saying that I needed to come, just to see what it would be like, that it was going to be an important moment in her life and mine.
Eventually I quit being a brat and we drove to the University of St. Francis in Joliet for the event. We got to the auditorium to find that there were old people, young people, and people of all races and ethnicities They were all there, eager to change their lives forever. My dad and I watched as they all stood up and began to say the magical words, "I hereby declare, on oath..." to become official citizens of the United States. To me, it was one of those spine-tingling moments!
That’s why once I got to the workshop, I was once again happy to see a diverse group of people. People who spoke a variety of languages, of different ages, of different religions, cultures, races, etc. were there to take their first step in becoming a citizen. Each person was there with a different story and reason for being there.
It was such an awesome opportunity to work with KRCC, IAC, and MWRC. They welcomed all the volunteers with a smile, served us breakfast, and lunch. They were very accommodating to first-time volunteers, telling us that filling out the forms was actually not a big ordeal, and told us to ask any and all questions that popped into our heads. At the end of the day, all the volunteers got to help out at least one person fill out their N-400 forms, which was my personal goal for the event! This was probably my favorite service event thus far. It was one of the few that I felt like I was making an actual difference in the person’s life, and it is also one that I was able to relate to.
So, if you want to make a direct difference in someone’s life, you should sign up to volunteer at a citizenship workshop! There are quite a few held right by UIC every month, and once you attend the training once – you never have to again!
Here are some resources if you are interested in getting involved with the immigrant rights movement/volunteering at the workshops:
KRCC
6146 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
Tel 773.558. 9158
www.chicagokrcc.org/en /about.hmm
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
http://icirr.org/
6146 N. Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
Tel 773.558. 9158
www.chicagokrcc.org/en /about.hmm
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
http://icirr.org/
I really enjoyed reading this post Shravya. Not only did I get a good sense of the citizenship volunteering event, but it was meaningful to hear about you and your family's own experiences. Your description of being a brat was also really funny. I'm glad you gave in to your mom :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a personal reflection on what others might think would be a typical workday for you. One thought might be in your closing is whether you want to include some contact info those interested in taking a step on their own to helping with citizenship workshops.
ReplyDelete