All throughout the summer, Americans are filled with opportunities, like Memorial or Independence Day, to celebrate and show gratitude for our freedom and liberties. In this spirit, this summer for Tim was one he will never forget, as it was his first as an American citizen.
Originally from Kenya, Tim came to the United States at 19 years old to study. Although Tim has strong ties to his Kenyan roots, he now lives and works in the San Jose area with his family.
After nearly ten years with a green card, Tim desired to apply for his U.S. citizenship, but he felt overwhelmed by the process. Luckily, Tim’s bank in San Jose, Technology Credit Union, has been in partnership with New American Workforce since 2013. Throughout this partnership and with the help of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the credit union hosts Citizenship Workshops for both its eligible employees and members, providing legal assistance to those wishing to apply for citizenship.
When Tim saw that Technology Credit Union was offering citizenship assistance right at its local office, he knew it was time to overcome his nerves and start the application. Along with being conveniently located, Tim found the Citizenship Workshops to be extremely helpful. “IRC came and told us the benefits and the nuances [of citizenship].
The Citizenship Workshops made the process easy for Tim to understand and provided answers to all of his questions. “[The workshop] took all the crazy stuff that was going on in my head, ‘What if this? What if that?’ and simplified [everything].”
Through the support of Technology Credit Union and New American Workforce, Tim took the citizenship oath and became a citizen on June 29, 2018. This summer, he was thrilled to celebrate his first Independence Day as a proud U.S. citizen and is looking forward to many more celebrations in the years to come.
Photo: Several of the employee and member participants at Technology Credit Union