VC man celebrates becoming a US citizen
It was an all-American celebration, complete with
small American flags, a big cake, congratulations and lots of smiles. And a few
tears.
In a few days, on May 25 Leonardo Zuniga will join
hundreds of men and women in San Diego’s Golden Hall in repeating this oath
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Zuniga, who recently changed his last name from
Zuñiga in order to make it easier to pronounce— following a grand tradition
established by countless millions who landed at Ellis Island in New York City
over many decades— celebrated his pending U.S. citizenship Tuesday night at a
reception hosted for him by the Valley Center Library.
The event celebrated his graduation from the San
Diego County Library (SDCL) Citizenship Program, passing his United States
Citizenship Interview, and being scheduled to take the oath on May 25.
With tears in his eyes Zuniga accepted the praise
of his teacher, Citizenship Instructor, Graciela Schneider, a native of
Argentina, who has lived in the United States for many years, and who teaches
the weekly Citizenship classes every Tuesday night.
“He finished the program in six months, not
knowing a word of English when he started,” she said. Zuniga was the first
student to complete the program at VC Library.
She noted that during her classes she doesn’t let
the student speak at all in Spanish, and with a twinkle in her eyes added, “If
I slipped into Spanish Leonardo would say, ‘Say in English!’ ”
Mrs. Schneider was also recognized for her
dedication to the program by VC branch manager Laura Zuckerman and Susan Moore,
San Diego County Library Deputy Director, who was once a literacy tutor, and
currently directs the library system’s “Learn
program.” READ MORE @
Library
To Host Citizenship Workshops
San
Diego County Library (SDCL) will present a free Citizenship Workshop every
Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. through 2016 at the Imperial Library Branch, 847
Encina Avenue. Participants will learn about the eligibility requirements for
becoming United States citizens, and receive legal assistance with the
citizenship application process. All are welcome to attend, but a limited
number of seats are available; call the Imperial Beach Library at 619-424-6981
to check for availability.
The
workshop will supplement an ongoing series of weekly citizenship classes held
at the El Cajon Library. Coordinated by SDCL’s
L.E.A.R.N. adult literacy program, these classes help
immigrants prepare for their naturalization exams by providing assistance with
the 100 civics questions and English language skills.
Kevin
Vigil, L.E.A.R.N. coordinator, says, “The purpose of the San Diego County
Library’s Citizenship Class Program is to help prepare immigrants to pass their
naturalization exam. L.E.A.R.N. completes our program and allows us to offer
free legal assistance for the naturalization application process.”
The
San Diego County Library is dedicating to serve all members of our community,
and to ensuring that San Diego is a safe and welcoming environment for
everyone. It is our goal to provide information to those in need so that they
can be certain that they are well-informed about topics relevant to them.
For
more information about the workshop or citizenship classes at the Imperial
Beach Library, please call (619) 424-6981. For information about San Diego
County Library, visit www.sdcl.org.
