My name is Vilma. I come from a dysfunctional family with very low income.  I grew up in Honduras and I have been on my own since 15 years old because of the loss of my parents - just God and me. I graduated from Honduras University with a teaching degree with advanced computer and accounting skills. I moved to Indianapolis in July 2012 for better opportunities and because I got married. I soon realized it was very difficult to communicate with the people because I didn't know English.

I decided to enroll in the English Language Acquisition (ELA) program with Wayne Township Adult Education. While I was attending the ELA program, I found out that I could reach my goals.  My teacher Tammy Overpeck led me toward my goals, and I'm very grateful to her. One of my goals was to become a US citizen.  When I made it, I felt very excited to have achieved it.

The naturalization process takes about 5 months.  After they have captured your biometrics and have your fingerprints, you will receive the "Quick Civics Lesson" to study for the civics and English portions of the naturalization interview. There are 100 civics questions on the naturalization test. During your naturalization interview, you will be asked up to 10 questions from a list of 100 questions. You must answer correctly 6 of the 10 questions to pass the civics test. Applicants who are age 65 or older and have been a permanent resident for at least 20 years at the time of filing the form N-400 are only required to study 20 of the civics test questions for the naturalization test. These questions are flagged with an asterisk in the booklet. There are three components to the English portion of the test: speaking, reading, and writing.  After you pass the test you will be part of a ceremony, and you will receive with honor the "Certificate of Naturalization." I encourage anyone who is thinking about becoming a US Citizen or learning English to go for it, because there is no bigger obstacle than the one we put in front of ourselves.

In July 2016 I got hired as a paraprofessional with the Wayne Township Adult Education. The day that I got involved with the school, the direction of my life was changed. I really enjoy working with my co-workers and the students.  I'm also part of the team of Natural Helpers with the Immigrant Welcome Center. It hasn't been easy but never impossible; a dream and effort are enough to reach your goals. I learned that nothing can stop an individual from reaching his/her goals.  We can reach as high as we want; it's all up to us!  One thing that helped me in my journey was perseverance.  I hope that reading this will help other people as well.