Sixteen students have completed the spring citizenship class offered by the non profit organization Latinos for Washington. 

The purpose of the course is to prepare students for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Naturalization Test. Over the past five weeks, volunteers guided students through American civics, English reading and writing, the application process, and general exam preparation. 

At the conclusion of the course, all students participated in mock interviews to prepare for their citizenship interview and test. The 90-minute classes met three times per week at the Washington Public Library, and were co-taught by teachers Kerrie Willis and Jake Engle. They were assisted by classroom volunteers Julie Lawrence, Patty Roe, Dianne Gray, Gaby Canchola, Lupe Klein, and Liz Torres. 

Willis spoke to KCII about the success of the class, and a previous student “We also got news this week that a student from our fall class had an appointment, she passed her test and she is going to become a citizen. It’s very exciting. The lag time right now is running about six months from the time you turn in your application to the time you have your appointment in Des Moines. And we hope that these 16 students that are in the process right now, that it goes, as quick or quicker for them.” 

Students who attended all class sessions and passed their mock exam were awarded a scholarship for the entire cost of their citizenship application fee of $700. The scholarship is funded by donors to Latinos for Washington. 

There will be another class offered in the fall. Interested students can find more information on the Latinos for Washington Facebook page.