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The staff and students at McDowell High had cause to celebrate last week when two of the school’s employees stepped through the door for the first time as American citizens.
Francisco and Sonia Rodriguez returned to work Oct. 4 after receiving their citizenship and were congratulated by Rep. Mitch Gillespie and Richard Faulkner of U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor’s office. The two men presented them with certificates and North Carolina and American flags.
During lunch, they celebrated with their friends from work with a large Stars and Stripes cake, and heard applause from a cafeteria full of students.
The couple called gaining American citizenship a wonderful experience worth the time and effort they invested. The task took them 10 years to accomplish
"It’s a process," Sonia said. "You can’t just come here and say you want to become an American citizen."
But, now that the process is complete, they both say it’s a great feeling.
Francisco and Sonia moved to McDowell County from Costa Rica in August 1992. Sonia came to teach high school Spanish as part of a three-year teacher exchange program, and her husband, Francisco - a cabinetmaker - took a job at the Drexel furniture plant.
The couple decided to stay in McDowell after Sonia’s three years were up so their children, Javier and Irene, could attend college in the United States. Now, Francisco is retired and works as a custodian at McDowell High and in his workshop at home. And Sonia is still teaching Spanish at the high school and at McDowell Tech.
The decision not to return to Costa Rica was difficult, Sonia said, especially for her. Before moving to McDowell, she was an elementary school teacher, so the transition to teaching Spanish to teenagers took some getting used to.
Francisco said their friends here made it easier. When the couple moved to Marion 13 years ago, they brought nothing but clothes. He added that people they hardly knew helped them find a place to live and acquire some used furniture, and later helped them find a home of their own.
And along with support from people in McDowell, the area and its mountains and streams offered the couple something familiar.
"We feel at home here because Marion is very similar to places in Costa Rica," Sonia said.
Now that they’re citizens, the couple said they really feel like they belong and it’s time to give back to the community that embraced them.
"After 13 years, we feel like part of this country," Sonia said.
Francisco added, "This is our country now. This is our home."
Sonia said she’s happy teaching at McDowell High School and probably wouldn’t go back to teaching younger children.
And though his job doesn’t give him the same contact with students his wife enjoys, Francisco said he’d continue to take opportunities to encourage them. He advises students to look to their future and make their parents proud just like his kids did for him.
"Doing something for students is doing something for the future of this country," he added.
Other than the story pointing out the typical permanence of temporary labor there is little to complain about. The family involved though immigrants were not illegal
Other than the story pointing out the typical permanence of temporary labor there is little to complain about. The family involved though immigrants were not illegal
Correct, they did it the right way, the legal way. They obeyed the laws and worked to become Americans. That is why legal immigrants are so upset about the illegals. _________________ Buy American
www.buydirectusa.com/shop/ http://tinyurl.com/bpdo5
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