This past Saturday, eight students arrived at the Northern Nevada Literacy Council’s (NNLC) facility off Wedekind Road in north Reno to participate in a free adult education program offered by the organization—English as a Second Language (ESL) and U.S. Civics.
In their classroom, they answered basic questions about American history, read short excerpts of their textbooks to practice English, and listened to their instructor speak on the causes of World War I; however, getting better at English is not their only goal.
For student Mary Orozco, an immigrant from Mexico who has lived in the United States since 1989, and for other immigrant classmates like her, the class is a step towards obtaining American citizenship.
“We take it because we wanna be . . . citizens the soon as possible,” said Orozco from the front steps of the NNLC building during a brief break outside the classroom. “We are so happy [to] come to [the] U.S.A. because there’s more opportunities [for] us,” she added…