Delmy Lopez’ Story
by Gissell Vazquez, ESL Director
The path to becoming a citizen of the United States begins with learning English. This is the story of Delmy Lopez, and how she accomplished her goal of becoming a U.S citizen.
Delmy is a tenacious woman originally from Honduras, and she has been living in the United States for seven years. Delmy started to study English with Mission Adelante in the Fall of 2018. She also used to bring her kids to the Arts Program where I first met her. Later on I met her husband Everardo (Lalo) Avalos. He volunteered in Level 1 for a couple of trimesters as well.
Delmy, the first person on the left in ESL Level 5 class.
Everardo (lalo) Avalos on the right helping with the ESL Registration
Delmy would not miss an English class, and I remember her great attitude. No matter what, she always had a smile on her face. With perseverance and hours of study, she graduated from Level 5 in the Spring of 2020. Graduating from ESL wasn’t the end. From that point on a new season began. Since her ultimate goal was becoming a U.S. citizen, in June 2020, she submitted all the paperwork. Finally, in May 2021 she got her interview appointment. In the meantime, Delmy joined the Citizenship class. She spent almost a year practicing until the day of her citizenship test came. In a recent conversation I had with her she said:
Delmy sharing about her citizenship interview
“I have to admit, in the beginning it was difficult to understand the classes because everything was very new to me, but little by little I was able to learn the questions. Citizenship volunteers made the difference. They do their best to teach us. They helped me to accomplish my goal.”
Delmy is a rock star. She not only has accomplished the goals of speaking English and becoming a U.S. citizen but now she is ready to give back to the community as well! Delmy is planning to stay in Citizenship class as a volunteer! Thank you Delmy! You have set an example, you have walked the pathway with great determination. Having you as a student was a joy. Now having you as a mentor is a blessing we treasure.