Over a dozen South Bay locals celebrated becoming U.S. citizens this past week in Chula Vista.
Last Tuesday night, the Chula Vista Adult School hosted a citizenship ceremony for over a dozen adult students who took a pathway-to-citizenship course that is held every semester in the South Bay, including in San Ysidro, National City, and Chula Vista.
This week was a dream week for these new American citizens who shared their stories in front of their families Tuesday night, as they reflected on the many years filled with patience, perseverance, and long desire to fulfill this achievement.
Maria Chavez was one of the new citizens who gave a speech during the ceremony, expressing her appreciation for the support she received from her loved ones throughout this long process.
“It is a very, very big achievement for me,” Maria Chavez told El Latino. “Since I knew this country, I wanted to live here. My children are citizens, my husband is a citizen, and only I was missing. So, I tell everyone who has not applied for their citizenship, study and prepare, because this can be achieved with a lot of effort.”
Alejandra Partida spent 21 years undocumented before fulfilling this great achievement, and now, she has become a citizen of the country that she admired since she was little. Becoming a citizen of the United States has always been a dream that has become a reality since last week.
“I started out in this country without documents, so I had to wait 21 years to be a resident as a single mother,” said Alejandra. “Since I was a child coming here, I always remember thinking that I would have liked to have been born and live here. . And now that I am a citizen, I am very proud because the process was very difficult, but it was possible. When I completed 5 years as a resident, I immediately applied to be able to achieve this.”
This ceremony would not have been possible without the teachings of Ely Freedman, who is the teacher who provided the educational support that was needed for these students to succeed in their pathway towards citizenship.
“I was a lawyer for a long time, but this is different. I know that by helping them, their lives will become better, and that is overwhelming. It makes me so proud and happy and so humble, knowing that when they started the course with little to no confidence, and now they are leaving here confident and as American citizens.”
Freedman says that seeing her students become citizens reminded her of those moments when a parent sees their kids walking down the platform with their cap and gown on graduation day.
“I feel like their mother,” she said. “I feel like they’re my children in a way. Like a proud parent whose children just graduated.”
Kudos to Ely Freedman and to her students! This is the kind of news we need to hear more often.