Most high school seniors spend the last few months of their senior year hanging out with friends, getting ready for college, and studying for finals. For Amicha, there was an additional exam she wanted to pass.
The 18-year-old immigrated to the United States from Haiti when she was eight years old. She quickly learned English and became an athlete, playing multiple sports at her school. She wasn’t a citizen, but she was an American.
Her citizenship status became an important consideration when she went to join the United States Army. While non-citizens can join the military under certain conditions, Amicha knew she would have more opportunities for advancement in the military if she was a citizen. She tried studying for the citizenship exam on her own but didn’t feel as confident as she wanted to be.
That’s when Amicha reached out to The Immigrant Learning Center (The ILC).
After enrolling in our online citizenship class, Amicha started meeting with one of our volunteers, Ellen, two days a week on Zoom to prepare for her citizenship exam. The biggest challenge for Amicha was the civics portion, which requires knowing the answers to 100 questions about United States politics and history.
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Thanks to Ellen’s training and experience as a volunteer in The ILC’s Citizenship Class, she found a picture association technique worked best with Amicha’s learning style. Amicha was able to walk into her citizenship exam with confidence and pass. The next day, she graduated from high school.
“Ellen, she’s really been helping me and stuff. She’s the one that made me pass it, and so I really appreciate it,” Amicha says.
“I honestly think [Amicha represents] the best of this country,” Ellen says.
Amicha followed her dream and joined the Army this month. She is looking forward to serving the country she loves.
In Haiti, I did not like the school. But when I came here, I was able to be myself.”
-Amicha
She and a dozen other students have passed the citizenship exam since the start of the year. Our classes meet students where they are, and for Amicha, a busy high school senior juggling her academics and sports while preparing to serve her country, that meant joining our Citizenship Program’s online cohort and working with an experienced volunteer.
Amicha and other immigrants can now give back to their new country with confidence and a newfound sense of belonging.