Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Yessie, seated, signs her citizenship document with Max Revell, left, and Mike Coleman, right, seeing the process through to the end with her.
A long wait for just the right moment; a little nudge forward and Yesenia Flores, Yessie, has completed her journey – traveling to Omaha a permanent resident and coming home to Kimball a naturalized citizen.
Yessie's long wait began when she became a permanent resident of the United States in 1999, through her husband. Permanent residency is valid for ten years, at which time it must be renewed or it will be forfeited, or one can apply to become naturalized.
"For a permanent resident who wants to become a citizen, if you are getting it through your spouse, you have to wait at least three years before you can apply for citizenship," she said. "My parents have to wait five years."
In addition to the long wait, the cost of naturalization seemed out of reach and the process felt daunting.
The nudge – Yessie's co-worker, Mike Coleman, the Chief Financial Officer at FirsTier Bank in Kimball, overheard a conversation about this very thing and quietly but quickly stepped in.
"The next day he called me to his office and he said that he talked to the bank and they decided to pay for my citizenship," she said.
The process for naturalization begins when an application is submitted. Yessie's uncle helped her with all the paperwork and she received an appointment for fingerprints.
"It took months for fingerprints to be approved," she said. And three more months passed before she got the appointment to take the test.
Studying for the test, comprised of 100 civics and U.S. History questions, took weeks. But Yessie had so many friends and family behind her through the process, including another co-worker, Max Revell.
"I got this comment from Max, he said, 'You know what Yessie, I am so proud of you, because I bet you that if you asked these questions to any of us, no one would know.'" she said. "But Mike, he knows. He motivated me, he helped me study and he was with me all the time. He never gave up on me."
She said she is so grateful for the support of her family, her work family and the entire community.
"It is not really official until I sign this paper," she said. "I wanted to wait and sign it with Mike and Max here."
And with that, a few strokes of pen to paper, Yessie signed her first document as an American citizen.
"The journey of a thousand miles
begins with one step." Lao Tzu
