“Good morning, Your Honor. My name is Helma Groot.”
Art teacher Helma Groot stood before the judge, microphone in hand. She and 60 others were gathered in a courtroom the morning of Nov. 13 to receive their American citizenship.
Groot, who already had residency in the Netherlands, explained she was living in the United States with a green card that allowed her to work, but it didn’t give her the right to vote. Due to this, Groot said she decided to apply for citizenship so she could vote in elections.
The application process started in July, Groot explained. She had to fill out a series of extensive forms and schedule a date for biometric testing, where her fingerprints were scanned and her background was checked, Groot added.
The next step involved a test about the American government, known as the Civics Test, she said, and all applicants must pass with a minimum score of 60%.
“I had to learn a bunch about American history,” she added. “It had some very specific questions that required intricate answers.”
Groot explained she attended a final ceremony at the courthouse where she and other applicants received their citizenship.
“There were close to 40 countries represented out of the 60 people who were getting their citizenship,” she said.
Each person introduced themselves to the judge, Groot added.
“It was really fun to hear everyone’s accent and hear all the different countries people were from,” she said.
At the end of the ceremony, the new American citizens filled out and submitted their voter registration forms, Groot explained.
“Other than being able to vote, nothing really changed,” she added.
After becoming an American citizen, her fellow high school staff members held a surprise party.
“The teachers were all wearing red, white and blue, which was extremely sweet,” she explained. “There was cake in the staff lounge, so we celebrated that way.”
Groot added she wasn’t expecting the celebration at the high school.
“I was very surprised, and it felt really, really good to get that much support,” she said. “I think that was the best part.”
