By Bea Paxson
Special to the Gazette
Photo by Bea Paxson
In 2001, Maria Olga Guzman came to the United States with her husband and two children and, 11 years later, is a United States Citizen. Guzman passed the test April 4, 2012, and an official swearing-in ceremony will be held in Tampa, May 3, 2012. Guzman works part-time at the Lehigh Acres Kiwanis Thrift Store as the cashier, a part-time job she’s held four years.
Guzman has two children, Laura Jara, 21, and Luis Jara, Jr., 16. Guzman’s husband, Luis Jara, Sr., 55, is away in Colombia at this time.
Guzman was born in Colombia in 1959 and before coming to America, she worked at a children’s hospital while trying to raise two very young children of her own. Living in Colombia was not always comfortable for Guzman, she explained, “There were lots of rebel groups even before we left.” Colombia had a problem with violence, where the murder rate was at a high point in 1999 with about 23,000 people killed because of the existent corruption and close to two million Colombians fled the country since. For Guzman’s family, they were able to seek political asylum, thus obtaining their Green Cards until finally becoming U.S. Citizens. Guzman shared, “It was always my dream to become a U.S. Citizen.”
Before moving to Lehigh Acres, the Guzman family lived in Fort Myers for six years. They purchased a house here not just because of its affordability, but also because, “We really like it here,” Guzman said.
Guzman’s son, Luis Jara, Jr., has been in the United States since the age of five, speaks both English and Spanish fluently, and is a student at East Lee County High School. Back in October 2011, Guzman’s husband, Luis Jara, Sr., would obtain his citizenship. Because their son is a minor at 16, Guzman’s son would also get his citizenship. As for their daughter, Laura Jara, Guzman explained, “We had to go to court to get legal guardianship since Laura is older than 18 years. Because of her disability, they conducted a special test for her.”
Born with autism, Guzman’s daughter sat quietly on the couch with a blanket laid across her lap. Laura Jara said plainly in Spanish, “I want music.” In the beginning of Laura’s life, Guzman said, “My son helps me now, but when he was younger, it was much harder caring for Laura. So it was hard for me to study English because of the care my daughter needed.” In Colombia, Guzman had help from family members since she has eight siblings (five sisters and three brothers). “In Colombia, I had much family to help, but here in the States, I only have my son.” Guzman’s husband has been in Columbia visiting with family he hasn’t seen for 10 years. “My grandfather is sick and was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago,” translated Luis, Jr., “but he’s doing OK now.”
Since they moved to America, Guzman’s mother came to visit three times before her dying a year ago. Guzman’s father died a long time ago, but Guzman still has a large family in Colombia, “I have maybe 30 nephews and nieces now.” When asked what her Columbian family thinks about her living in the United States, she said, “They’re happy for me.” Luis, Jr., said, “We try to go and see our family in Colombia during the summer time.”
The Amigos en Cristo, Inc. (d/b/a/ Amigos Center of Southwest Florida) was a huge help for Guzman. “It’s a very nice place, they helped us so much,” she continued, “the cost is very small.” The Amigos Center offers family-based immigration and citizenship services giving families a safe and affordable way to take care of immigration needs.
When asked how long she studied to take the test, she said, “Every day I listened to the CD in the car. Every day I write the questions, there were 100, but they only asked 10 at the test.” The English test has three parts: writing, reading, and speaking. She went on to say, “I read one question, write one question, and then answer everything else in English.” For the reading requirement, Guzman had to read one out of three sentences correctly and for the writing portion, she had to write one of three sentences without error. The rest of the test would be conducted by a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS) Officer verbally.
Guzman’s hope for her children is a common hope most parents have, she said, in particular, “For my son, he needs to continue to study much and go to college. I want him to be a good person and have good customs.” Jara, Jr., wants to be a business owner someday and said, “I would like to be a CEO of a business someday.” On a final note, he shared, “I’m very proud of my parents and I am happy we are here; it’s a nicer place to live here in the United States.”