MAN SAYS 'THANK YOU' TO AMERICA BY CELEBRATING HIS FIRST FOURTH AS CITIZEN
Michelle Brooks mbrooks@newstribune.com
The United States has been good to Manuel Andrade. The best way he knew to show his appreciation was to become a citizen. "Citizenship says, 'Thank you, America,'" Andrade said. This spring, Andrade swiftly completed his citizenship test, thanks in part to Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE), particularly his tutor, Frank Stork.
Today, Andrade, with his wife, Claudia, and daughters Isamar and Sharon, intends to celebrate Independence Day with a barbecue, as they have each year. "But, this will be a very special day; my first Fourth of July being an American citizen," Andrade said. His mother raised him and his siblings in Honduras - with dirt floors, cardboard walls and never knowing day to day whether they would have food to eat. "My mom always said 'everything you can dream, you can make it,'" Andrade said. "We had nothing. "Everything I've got now is more than I dreamed."
Although his mother died young, her teachings helped ground Andrade on his quest for the American dream. Now, he's passing that on to his daughters, too. "I don't think anything is impossible," Andrade said. Arriving in New York in 1988 at age 16, Andrade had fulfilled his first life's dream. "Finally in the United States, I knew my life could be changed," Andrade said. But the cost of living was high and working multiple, minimum wage jobs didn't allow much time for the family. So Andrade moved his family to an unfamiliar, rural setting in Missouri, where they found not only a better quality of life but support to help them reach their goals.
"Coming to Missouri, I finally got people to teach me which way to go," Andrade said. Eventually, they got an apartment and then their first car. "Then I told my wife, 'I think we can make a life here,'" he said. "We feel at home, even without family here." Andrade has one more dream for his family - owning their own home. For him personally, though, he hopes some day to earn a college degree. That's why he continues to study with ABLE. "If I had found Frank 15 years ago, my future could have been so much better," Andrade said. That is why he hopes that his daughters will have a better life than he does. "I told my daughters, stay in school and finish," Andrade said. "That little piece of paper makes your life better."
"It's important having someone pointing you which way you can go." Stork is that someone for Andrade. They met when Andrade needed to improve his English while seeking employment. Then Stork helped him navigate the bureaucracy and study for his citizenship test. "I know the Constitution, and I know what my rights are," Andrade said.
In studying the geography, history and documents required for the citizenship process, Andrade was most impressed with the court systems, giving people a venue to voice their disputes fairly, he said. With a visa, someone else would make decisions and do things for Andrade. Now as a citizen, "no one will decide for you," he said.
Voting, travel and other freedoms may be taken for granted by many born in the U.S., he noted. "I can go everywhere. I'm part of this country," Andrade said. "I can vote. I can do anything anyone else can do. "Most Americans do not realize what you've got in your hands. "They don't know how many behind them dream to have this."
Copyright 2010 News Tribune Co. All rights reserved.
The United States has been good to Manuel Andrade. The best way he knew to show his appreciation was to become a citizen. "Citizenship says, 'Thank you, America,'" Andrade said. This spring, Andrade swiftly completed his citizenship test, thanks in part to Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE), particularly his tutor, Frank Stork.
Today, Andrade, with his wife, Claudia, and daughters Isamar and Sharon, intends to celebrate Independence Day with a barbecue, as they have each year. "But, this will be a very special day; my first Fourth of July being an American citizen," Andrade said. His mother raised him and his siblings in Honduras - with dirt floors, cardboard walls and never knowing day to day whether they would have food to eat. "My mom always said 'everything you can dream, you can make it,'" Andrade said. "We had nothing. "Everything I've got now is more than I dreamed."
Although his mother died young, her teachings helped ground Andrade on his quest for the American dream. Now, he's passing that on to his daughters, too. "I don't think anything is impossible," Andrade said. Arriving in New York in 1988 at age 16, Andrade had fulfilled his first life's dream. "Finally in the United States, I knew my life could be changed," Andrade said. But the cost of living was high and working multiple, minimum wage jobs didn't allow much time for the family. So Andrade moved his family to an unfamiliar, rural setting in Missouri, where they found not only a better quality of life but support to help them reach their goals.
"Coming to Missouri, I finally got people to teach me which way to go," Andrade said. Eventually, they got an apartment and then their first car. "Then I told my wife, 'I think we can make a life here,'" he said. "We feel at home, even without family here." Andrade has one more dream for his family - owning their own home. For him personally, though, he hopes some day to earn a college degree. That's why he continues to study with ABLE. "If I had found Frank 15 years ago, my future could have been so much better," Andrade said. That is why he hopes that his daughters will have a better life than he does. "I told my daughters, stay in school and finish," Andrade said. "That little piece of paper makes your life better."
"It's important having someone pointing you which way you can go." Stork is that someone for Andrade. They met when Andrade needed to improve his English while seeking employment. Then Stork helped him navigate the bureaucracy and study for his citizenship test. "I know the Constitution, and I know what my rights are," Andrade said.
In studying the geography, history and documents required for the citizenship process, Andrade was most impressed with the court systems, giving people a venue to voice their disputes fairly, he said. With a visa, someone else would make decisions and do things for Andrade. Now as a citizen, "no one will decide for you," he said.
Voting, travel and other freedoms may be taken for granted by many born in the U.S., he noted. "I can go everywhere. I'm part of this country," Andrade said. "I can vote. I can do anything anyone else can do. "Most Americans do not realize what you've got in your hands. "They don't know how many behind them dream to have this."
Copyright 2010 News Tribune Co. All rights reserved.