top of page

Final Reflection

This capstone changed my perspective on citizenship. For my capstone project I decided to tutor people for the citizenship exam. I went to The American Place in the downtown library, The American Place helps immigrants throughout each step of the citizenship process. I definitely learned a lot throughout this whole journey, I learned the steps and difficulties that immigrants go through to become United State citizens. At first I didn’t know what I wanted to do for capstone but I knew that I wanted to volunteer at a library, my teacher Mrs. Boutilier gave me the idea of volunteering at The American Place and since my father recently became a U.S citizen and knowing some of the things he went through, I decided to volunteer there to help out people who are struggling on the exam. Through research I learned that there is a lot of time and money invested into becoming a citizen. There is a lot of paperwork that needs to be filled out, fines that need to be paid, and time studying for the exam which includes a speaking, reading, and writing portion. Throughout my fieldwork I saw that The American Place had a lot of resources which helps people prepare for the exam. I joined a few zoom meetings with Mrs. Lacoss and a few other people from different cultures, I saw that not only did they help with the exam questions but they also helped a few people with dictation, which is needed for the writing part of the test. When I first started this capstone I was really nervous And didn’t think I would do a good job tutoring, but as I kept doing it I became more confident in myself. I’m not done tutoring yet, even if my capstone is over I still want to help the couple that I’m tutoring until they are ready to take the exam because I wouldn’t want to abandon someone in the middle of an important process. I feel that the couple is doing well so far, they are learning the exam little by little and in the end I know that they will pass the exam. At one point I felt a little bit stressed because before the couple that I am tutoring I was supposed to tutor someone else, but she decided to not take the citizenship exam a week before I was supposed to meet her. Thankfully my awesome mentor Nancy Caddigan managed to find the couple that I’m currently tutoring. Serving my community felt good, I liked how I was making a positive impact on someone’s life. I also felt happy that someone appreciated my help. I will volunteer again someday in the future because I liked helping the couple on the exam. I think the most challenging part of the capstone was actually reaching out and scheduling meetings. I was pretty nervous reaching out to people by email or by phone call because I hadn’t done that before. I also have this insecurity that I am bothering someone when I send an email, call someone on the phone, or asking for help. I think with the insight I have now I might have been less stressed and made better lesson plans for the couples. This capstone had a significant impact on my view on citizenship. I saw that many immigrants either don’t have time to study for the exam or they don’t have enough money. I also saw some growth in myself as a person, I feel that I feel less nervous when presenting to other people. I really appreciate the things this capstone has done for me.

bottom of page