A group of senior citizens in Allen are studying to become U.S. citizens.
Every Wednesday morning, they meet at the Allen Senior Recreation Center to go over dates, places and people all relevant to U.S. history and government.
“I am so proud of these folks. They work so hard,” said Phyllis Bronder, a volunteer at the rec center.
Last year, Bronder and another volunteer started tutoring a center member in English. A few weeks later, several were joining in on the lessons. Then, they asked for help with a bigger challenge-the U.S. Citizenship test.
“I come from Pakistan. I’ve been here 4 years,” explained Rosie Lin.
At 67, Lin and her husband chose to finally make a home in the U.S. after their daughter came here for school.
“We come to here for the freedom,” explained Wu Lin.
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Together, they’re now learning English and preparing for the test, which they plan to take one or two years from now.
“It almost brings tears to my eyes, you know, because they're so excited about it,” said volunteer Vivian Denbow.
The group of 8 Bronder and Denbow are teaching have immigrated from various parts of Asia and Mexico. Over the course of their 12 week session, they’ve found the borders and language barriers that once separated them all have mostly come down.
“Just learning to communicate with each other is what it is,” explained Bronder. “When they were reading in there, I was just bursting because it was just like I'm so proud. I know how tough it has been for some of them.”
But the difficulty has subsided for many. Even through broken English, they answer each question their instructors pose with confidence, knowing it could turn up on their test.
“I just passed my driver’s license,” said Rosie Lin. “We know a lot of things now.”
The course costs $3.00 to participate, which covers basic class materials. Both Bronder and Denbow expect to hold more in the future.
For more information, contact the Allen Senior Recreation Center at 214-509-4820.
