Student Spotlight: Habibah

I was born in Burma/Myanmar and went to school through grade 5. When I was 12, my family had to leave my home country because of persecution. We traveled by boat, car, and foot to reach our new home in Malaysia. We couldn’t pay for school there, so at age 14, I got a job working on TVs. After living in Malaysia for eight years, we were given a chance to come to America. We lived in Colorado, and I got a job in a meat packing plant. I didn’t like the work. We had friends living in Fort Wayne who told us it was cheaper to live there. We moved to Fort Wayne in 2019, and my friend helped me get a job at General Motors.

“I had my first interview earlier this year but did not pass the writing test. I started English classes at The Literacy Alliance …”

I started studying for my citizenship and applied in 2021. I listened to the 100 Civics questions with my earbuds in the car and at work every day. But because I hadn’t been in school since I was young, the test’s reading and writing portions were challenging. I had my first interview earlier this year but did not pass the writing test. I started English classes at TLA in July. During the weeks before my second interview, a volunteer from TLA helped me during class time to practice writing specific citizenship sentences. I had my second interview on August 24th, and I passed this time. I was so happy! Now I am waiting to receive the date to take my oath.

After I am officially a U.S. citizen, I want to apply for my U.S. passport. I want to take a trip to Saudi Arabia and back to Malaysia to see family and friends. I hope to become a flight attendant someday.