Riis Settlement continues to offer free classes and tutoring to help immigrants prepare for their US citizenship applications. We are excited to highlight one of our program participants, who just passed her citizenship test!
Ana Benscome is originally from the Dominican Republic, and she came to the United States in July 2015. After being granted permanent resident status, she began thinking about becoming a citizen. “The main reason was because this is a country of opportunities, and with citizenship you can find better sources of employment and free education,” Ana said. She also spoke about the importance of democracy and feeling protected as a motivating source for her. “You can be on a jury, and most importantly you can vote. This country gives us the opportunity to express ourselves without fear of reprisal.” Finally, because Ana’s husband was already a U.S citizen, they decided that her obtaining citizenship would allow them to truly solidify their life together in the United States.
In January 2020, Ana began the application process for full citizenship. She began to search the internet for classes to help her prepare, and found out about Riis Settlement. In April, she enrolled in our citizenship class for beginner English speakers. “We studied the 100 (civics) questions, ways to respond to them, about the history of the United States, and more,” Ana said. “It helped me a lot. Everything was in English, and that was advanced for me, but it was good to have the challenge.”
In July, Riis began offering online tutoring for beginner students in partnership with New York Cares, who advertised the project and recruited volunteer tutors. Ana joined because she felt confident about the civics questions, but wanted more help with the N-400 interview portion of the test. This portion tests the applicant’s ability to understand and respond to questions in English about their citizenship application, and often includes difficult vocabulary.
Through tutoring, Ana was able to increase her confidence by working one-on-one with native English speakers. “I was very nervous, but, in reality, the process is not bad. Someone told me to try and enjoy it, so that is what I did.” She also appreciated that the class and tutoring sessions were virtual: “It was great having classes online. If it was at the school, I would not have been able to go. It was good using Zoom.”
Ana continued to attend weekly tutoring over the summer, fall, and winter up until her citizenship test in February 2021. She passed on her first try! “It is not as difficult as they make it seem,” she said. “But you have to practice and study a lot. There is a lot to learn. I want to thank my teachers Adam and Estela and the other tutors. It was a beautiful experience. I had a lot of nerves but in the end it was worth it.”
