Going Above and Beyond: Helping Clients Reach their Goals Through Citizenship Class

More than just education - EMBARCs citizenship class takes the time to empower clients and engage them in ways that are personalized to help them succeed.

EMBARCs CBESL Citizenship program also support local voter registration efforts to help more refugees get engaged!

When Mary (real name hidden) joined EMBARC’s citizenship class, it was not her first time applying.  Mary had applied for citizenship and failed, 5 times.  She previously enrolled in other citizenship classes with no improvement.  Mary was desperate to become a citizen, as her federal disability payments were on hold until her status changed. Consequently, Mary’s husband had to continue working past the retirement age in order to support their family. Mary knew that becoming a citizen would allow her husband to spend more time at home with their family.

EMBARC looked at what had gone wrong for Mary in the past, and realized that due to Mary’s medication, her memory would be disrupted. Mary needed a strategic approach to her teaching during times when she was most clear-headed.

With this new information helping to inform her learning plan, she was scheduled with two tutors, one in-person and one virtual that were able to accommodate and customize her sessions for maximum retention and learning. Her in-person tutor also assisted in offering transportation to Mary for in-person citizenship classes. After an 8 month learning plan, Mary showed significant improvement.  When her appointment with USCIS came, Mary passed her interview on the first try.