Cristina came to the United States from Mexico in 2006, where she worked in Door County.  She later married her husband Benny and moved to Green Bay.  She began taking ELL classes at Literacy Green Bay in 2008.  As her family grew to include three daughters, she took time off from classes at various points, but always came back because she knew the importance of learning English, both for herself and for her children.   She was determined to improve her English skills and set a goal of obtaining citizenship.

In October of 2017, Cristina was matched with tutor Kathy De Broux.  Over their years together, they developed a special relationship.  They met weekly for two hours, with Cristina having exemplary attendance and evening making accommodations to continue meeting in summer when her schedule became more challenging.  She was committed to learning and was modeling a strong work ethic to her children.

Over the years that Cristina has worked with Literacy Green Bay, she has developed her English and reading skills to the point where she felt confident to apply for citizenship.  Her greatest achievement this year has been achieving her goal of citizenship on April 4, 2019!  Her tutor Kathy, was honored to attend the Oath of Citizenship Ceremony with her and found it to be a very moving and emotional experience, and the culmination of Cristina’s many months of hard work and studying.  Cristina is now extremely proud to be a citizen. 

Literacy Green Bay is proud of her as well, as she was one of the recipients of the 2019 Citizenship Scholarships awarded to Literacy Green Bay students from the Green Bay Exchange Club.