Lone Star College System, a public community college and large area employer in Houston, TX, joined New American Workforce in July 2015 to provide citizenship support for their eligible immigrant employees. Through this partnership, Lone Star College has made it possible for partners of New American Workforce, Boat People SOS, to offer outreach, information and legal service workshops to their employees interested in applying to become U.S. citizens.
Eugenia, who has advised students at Lone Star College for the past 7 years, recently had the opportunity to take advantage of the services provided through New American Workforce. Born in Russia and raised in New Zealand, Eugenia has lived in the United States for over 20 years with her American-born son. After an extended period living in the U.S., Eugenia felt it was time to officially belong to her country of residence. However, the citizenship application process seemed daunting, and she felt overwhelmed by the prospect of completing it on her own. Fortunately, she attended a citizenship session at Lone Star College in 2016 with New American Workforce. Eugenia stated:
“There was no way to start or think of citizenship. It is truly not easy without guidance. That’s why the workshop was great! I knew the person leading it was a professional, somebody I could trust, and somebody from my work.”
With the support from her employer, Eugenia became a U.S. citizen in October, 2016, just 4 months after submitting her citizenship application. Of all the benefits of citizenship, Eugenia is most excited to have voted for U.S. president in a national election. She will always be grateful for her experience of citizenship services provided by her employer, Lone Star College.