Road to Citizenship

When I was five years old, my parents made the brave choice to immigrate to the United States with only the hope of a prosperous future for all of us, to drive them forward. I was speaking (7 year old) fluent English by the time I was in second grade, I sang along with Kelly Clarkson about heartbreak in fourth grade, I studied endlessly for my US Constitution test in 8th grade (which I passed with a 96/100!), and developed a diehard love for baseball in high school.

   My upbringing has been like that of any other modern day American, except that on paper, I am not an American Citizen. It has been one of the biggest dreams of my life to become a US Citizen and now the opportunity has arrived. Needless to say, the process of getting there takes a lot of patience, hope, and money, and while patience and hope are attributes I’ve been able to develop with the help of those around me, money has proven to be more difficult to come by. My family and I have been in the process for 6 years, which is nothing compared to some families who’ve waited up to 20 years to get to where we are; at this stage of the process, the paperwork gets expensive. In total, I will need $2000 for my own legal and processing charges and I’m asking for an extra $800 for part of my mother’s legal expenses, all due by the end of this month (March 29th).

  Legal citizenship has truly been a lifelong dream of mine, and being so close to it feels unreal and exciting! I’m wholly grateful to those who can contribute any amount, and truly appreciate those who are able to give their love and support in these trying times. Thank you.