On Saturday, Dec. 2, Centro San Juan Diego held its inaugural citizenship celebration for new U.S. citizens who made the marked achievement of completing and obtaining their U.S. citizenship through Centro’s citizenship program.
In addition to the new U.S. citizens who studied at Centro San Juan Diego, the event was attended by several special guests who have been an essential part of the program: Gene Lang, volunteer teacher of citizenship classes in English; Maria Castañeda, volunteer teacher of citizenship classes in Spanish; Eva Rupp, Section Chief of U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS); Judge Carlos Samour, Colorado Supreme Court; and Judge Isabel Pallarés, Colorado Court.
“Nobody dreams of becoming an immigrant: as children we may have dreamt of being an astronaut, maybe a singer or rockstar or maybe a famous movie star, but the reality of life took over and many of us fled our country and came to this land of dreams,” said Alfonso Lara, Director of Centro San Juan Diego, in his welcome speech. “We may have left with dreams crushed, in the middle of the night or in the middle of war, violence etc. We left behind dreams, family, community, culture, and more than we could ever imagine.”
During the event, the students were recognized for their effort and dedication in attending classes at Centro and preparing for the citizenship test they took at USCIS.
“It was a very exciting challenge to take the citizenship test and finish the course here at Centro San Juan Diego,” said María Dolores Eugenia Gutiérrez, one of the new U.S. citizens who took the program at Centro. “When I started the application, the immigration attorney told me, ‘You know you can give it your all,’ and now here I am.”
In addition, Judge Carlos Samur of the Colorado Supreme Court shared with the attendees a bit of his testimony when he immigrated to this country. His parents brought him and his 11 siblings after they were forced to flee El Salvador during a time of political upheaval. Despite all the challenges he had to face as an immigrant, with perseverance and dedication, he took all the opportunities that this country gave him.
“I, just like you are, am also an immigrant… I want to tell you that with hard work and faith you can achieve whatever you want,” Judge Samur said. “This is a country, not perfect, there is no perfect country, but it is a great country, with many opportunities. And if you work hard and have faith, you can do whatever you want.”
For Nancy Luévano, Centro San Juan Diego’s citizenship program was key to understanding the history of this country.
“When I signed up for my first class at Centro San Juan Diego, I questioned myself, ‘Am I really going to learn anything?’ but then I realized that the questions and answers [on the citizenship test] were exactly what we were learning in class. It was very helpful for me. They were very supportive,” said Nancy.
Eva Rupp, Section Chief of U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services, congratulated the new citizens and thanked them for what they bring to this country and for the great accomplishment of becoming U.S. citizens.
“Each and every one of you are citizens, just like I am a citizen,” she told them. “Each and every one of you brings gifts from your history, and you should be proud of where you came from and proud of your accomplishment as new citizens… the only message that I have for you today, is thank you!”
Judge Isabel Pallarés, like many other immigrants, arrived in this country without knowing the culture or the language, something she never forgets.
“I am Guatemalan American. I came to this country when I was five years old,” she shared. “I remember when I came here not being able to communicate and not being able to speak the language. That had a huge impact on me. I never forget that as a judge, and I always make sure that the people that appear before me, in my courtroom, have a good experience and understand that even though English may not be their first language, they will have a good experience.”
Undoubtedly, the citizenship celebration was a very emotional event in which the new citizens and their families were able to share a special moment with the people who helped them make this dream possible and celebrate such a great achievement.
“My son is thrilled,” said María Dolores. “He told me: ‘You know what, Mom? Since you showed me that you were able to do it, now I’m going for citizenship,’ and he has already made the decision.”
For more information about classes offered by Centro San Juan Diego, visit centrosanjuandiego.org/en/classes.
For volunteer opportunities with Centro San Juan Diego, visit centrosanjuandiego.org/en/volunteer.