One of New American Workforce’s 18 partners in the New York City area is Weill Cornell Medical Center, one of the nation’s primer medical facilities committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. Since joining New American Workforce in 2015, Weill Cornell Medical Center has demonstrated a strong support for employees seeking citizenship by hosting citizenship workshops open to their 10,000 employees. These workshops are made possible through the generous participation of the International Rescue Committee, the legal services provider. A key to the program’s success is holding the naturalization workshops at the worksite, mitigating transportation and work-schedule conflicts for employees.
One beneficiary of the program is Ishan Ifill. Born in Trinidad, Ishan has worked as a data control coordinator at Weill Cornell Medical Center for more than 2 years. After a lengthy and expensive process obtaining her green card, Ishan expected even greater difficulty with her United States citizenship application. Fortunately, Weill Cornell Medical Center began offering naturalization workshops at the worksite, which provided Ishan with reliable information and reduced the fees for legal services. Ishan’s impetus for becoming a U.S. citizen focused on the ability to vote and her passion for the U.S., saying:
“I have been in this country for a very long time and I wanted to have the right to vote so that I could express my opinion. I love this country and respect it and I wanted to become part of this nation.”
Ishan had anticipated applying for U.S. citizenship on her own, however, she was relieved to get assistance with the typically burdensome application process from her employer. Thanks to Weill Cornell Medical Center, Ishan is now a voting, U.S. citizen in the country she loves.