Becoming a US citizen is a dream for many Salinas residents, and the Literacy Center at the Salinas Public Library is here to help during the current COVID-19 crisis, and beyond.  Three participants in the Citizenship Preparation Program recently passed their Citizenship exams, and several others are waiting for their upcoming interviews.  The Literacy Center meets weekly with adults on the path to becoming citizens and provides practice tests and worksheets, conducts mock interviews, and makes referrals to local organizations for few waivers and application assistance. 

Martha, who is one of these students, passed her examinations on Wednesday, October 20th and went to San Jose for a drive-thru Oath Ceremony two days later.  She also returned to the Literacy Center's Online Citizenship Class to share her experiences with her classmates, and offer some advice on how to prepare for the actual interview and test.  Her classmates were very grateful to hear first-hand about the interview process. Martha plans to begin her journey as a U.S. citizen by casting a vote in the November 3rd elections.  While she missed the October 19th voter registration deadline, she is still able to register to vote in person at the Monterey County Elections Office through election day.  She credits the Literacy Program for their help in preparing her for this significant life event. 

"Many participants had naturalization interviews scheduled early in the pandemic, which were subsequently canceled, so it's been especially important for us to provide additional support and motivation," says Margarita Medina Romero, Literacy Assistant.  Since the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began rescheduling interviews, the Literacy Center staff have seen a sharp increase in requests, and have conducted 6 mock interviews in both English and Spanish in just the past two weeks!  

For more information about this program, call the Literacy Center at (831) 758-7916 or check the library calendar for the next Virtual Citizenship class.