For nearly two decades, Sam Houston State University’s Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics (LEAP) and the Huntsville Public Library have partnered to help local lawful permanent residents prepare for the naturalization process.
On September 15, 2026, that work received special recognition from the Huntsville City Council. Before the city’s governing body—consisting of Mayor Russell Humphrey and eight council members—Mayor Humphrey read Proclamation No. 2026-25, officially designating the date as “Citizenship Preparatory Day.”
The proclamation recognized LEAP’s five-week Citizenship Preparatory Course, which helps participants prepare for the civics test, English-language requirements, and naturalization interview. It also noted the challenge of condensing years of American history and government into five class sessions.
The proclamation also recognized the broader value of the program, noting that LEAP and the participants “strive to better our community and the City of Huntsville.”
Following a prayer and–fittingly–a pledge of allegiance, Professor Yawn spoke, recognizing Nataly Elizondo (this year’s intern) and thanking council.
That improvement comes from both sides of the classroom. Participants devote considerable time and effort to pursuing citizenship, often while balancing work and family responsibilities. Meanwhile, SHSU students gain a greater understanding of immigration, citizenship, and civic service while helping their neighbors achieve an important goal.
Following the proclamation reading and Professor Yawn’s thanks, Mayor Humphrey graciously shook hands with each of the participants and volunteers.
For LEAP Ambassadors and program participants, the proclamation was a meaningful acknowledgment of their work. More importantly, it celebrated the determination of local residents seeking to become United States citizens—and the community members helping them along the way.
After months of anticipation and careful planning, we opened the doors to our Citizenship Celebration at The Woodlands Center–an evening that marked not just a milestone, but the launch of an exciting new chapter for our existing citizenship program.
The celebration brought together naturalized citizens, aspiring citizens, LEAP friends and alumni, all united by a shared support for those on their journey toward citizenship and the program.
What began in 2008 as a local initiative in Walker County has grown far beyond its original scope. Thanks to National Partnership for New Americans, the program now reaches into Montgomery County, creating new connections and expanding the community in meaningful ways.
One of the many goals for this celebration was to ensure every guest left with a meaningful takeaway. This is always easier when everyone shares a common purpose. For us, this growth brought new connections in the Montgomery area, including volunteers from Caney Creek High School…
…who joined SHSU students to create a welcoming, vibrant atmosphere for the guests as they arrive.
As guests arrived, they settled in with plates of delicious food–empanadas, beef satay, ceviche, and an array of other cultural dishes–setting the stage for an evening of culture and connections. The room itself was beautifully decorated with a patriotic theme symbolizing the civic pride and sense of belonging that come with citizenship.
The ceremony began with Professor Yawn, who welcomed attendees and explained how LEAP’s citizenship program is expanding beyond Walker County.
The audience included familiar faces like Gregoria McGuire and Roxana Woychesin, former course participants, alongside eager newcomers ready to begin their journey.
LEAP alumni–Brian Aldaco, Bianca Saldierna, Ademide Adedokun, and Megan Chapa–also in attendance, perfectly timed to coincide with LEAP’s upcoming 20th anniversary celebration and the launch of new initiatives.
I then had the chance to offer my own words of welcome — thanking everyone for their incredible support and emphasizing that this event was truly a celebration for all: those who had been naturalized, those beginning the journey, and those supporting this civic milestone.
Then came the moment I’d been looking forward to — introducing Christina Sato, who so graciously agreed to share her journey and beautiful words with us. Christina Sato is an accomplished actress, singer, and University of Texas at Austin graduate who interned for former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and has built an impressive career bridging entertainment and public service.
Christina spoke beautifully about three important themes, with one particularly powerful message about the importance of an invitation…
…recalling that she first met Professor Yawn in an elevator, three years ago. That chance meeting, followed by some networking, led to the invitation to speak at this event.
She tied this concept perfectly to the crowd and their purpose, making everyone feel the significance of being present and being welcomed into community.
Her story was one of unexpected turns and beautiful detours. Sato shared how she began her career with aspirations in public service, only to find life taking her down different paths-through entertainment, through various roles and opportunities that she never initially imagined. Rather than viewing these changes as setbacks, she embraced them as part of life’s natural rhythm. Her journey wasn’t linear, and she owned that truth with grace and authenticity.
For the naturalized citizens in the room– many of whom had taken long, winding roads to reach that point–her story struck a personal note. For those still on their journey toward citizenship, her message offered hope, encouragement, and a reminder that every experience brings us closer to where we’re meant to be.
The evening then shifted to something wonderfully fun–Lotería! For those unfamiliar with this traditional game, it’s similar to bingo but with a uniquely cultural twist.
We played a couple of rounds, giving away prizes to lucky winners throughout the evening, with the help of volunteers Andrea Torres, Olivia Discon, and Laura Juarez Ordonez.
It was a beautiful reminder that while we gather for serious purposes – citizenship, community, growth – we also come together to celebrate, to play, and to enjoy each other’s company.
As the celebration concluded, we announced the next phase of our program: our Spring 2026 Citizenship Course. This course will be held on April 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th at The Woodlands Center, to support immigrants as they work toward their citizenship, providing the resources, guidance, and encouragement they need to succeed.
A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who made this evening possible: thevolunteers and LEAP alumni whose ongoing support sustains the program, Christina Sato for generously sharing her time, inspiring story, and wisdom, and most importantly, the naturalized citizens and immigrants whose journeys continue to inspire this program and remind us of why it initially started.
Here’s to the journey ahead–and to all the events yet to come!
For more information about LEAP’s citizenship program or our upcoming Spring course, email Professor Mike Yawn at mikeyawn@shsu.edu.
Each Spring the LEAP Center partners with the Huntsville Public Library to provide a free citizenship preparatory course to aid immigrants in their naturalization process. This year, our program covered late March and all of April, and after two years of COVID, we had a smaller sized–but enthusiastic–class, led by Professor Mike Yawn, HPL intern Jocelyn Vazquez (and her supervisor, Mary Kokot), and the LEAP Ambassadors as volunteers.
Overall, we had about a dozen members representing several countries such as Mexico, El Salvador, and Canada! For the first meeting, Professor Yawn had everyone introduce themselves before he discussed the process of becoming a citizen and gave a rundown of the course–as well as the Naturalization interview and exam.
The course runs for five weeks, with each week covering a different era or topic addressed by the Civics portion of the Naturalization Exam. Professor Yawn spends about 20 minutes going over an era or a topic, and then we, as volunteers, break into groups and work directly with the immigrants.
There are 100 questions that can be asked as part of the civics exam, and the USCIS officer will ask up to ten of them (randomly selected), with the immigrant needing to get six of them correct to pass. These questions can range from questions about US History, to questions about holidays, to questions about governmental structure or even geographic features of the country (e.g. “What is one of the two longest rivers in the United States?”).
This year, we had a couple of special guests. On Week Four, we had Rosa Martinez from USCIS come in on Zoom and answer questions.
And, on Week 5, we had immigration Robert Cates join us, and he proved to be a favorite of the class. He went through the nuances of the process, some pitfalls, and some tips for going through that process. The night was also pleasant, in that we had some catering done, including desserts by Sam’s Table.
We concluded this evening, and the formal portion of the course, with group photos.
But, additional work continues. Jessica and Morgan, for example, assisted one of the students on some last minute questions, and Roxana Woychesin earned her citizenship!
In addition, one of our volunteers and LEAP Ambassadors, Saara Maknojia, got the call for her interview shortly after our course ended.
In addition to being a morale boost for our volunteerism, it was also a good reminder that a lot of work goes into citizenship for those not born here, and that our rights and obligations should not be taken for granted!
For the past 12 years, the LEAP Ambassadors have partnered with the Huntsville Public Library to serve immigrants by assisting them in their quest to become naturalized. Over that time period, we’ve worked with approximately 300 immigrants from 23 countries.
The program is divided into five weeks, with the intern from the Huntsville Public Library (this year: Leo Elizondo, supervised by HPL staff member Mary Kokot). The first week is primarily going over what the naturalization process involves and an overview of the course. In weeks 2-4, we cover a historical timeline of the US, addressing the key topics that are asked on the Naturalization Exam. During the final week, we invite immigration attorney Audrey Biggar to speak to the immigrants.
She goes over the legal aspects of citizenship and answers questions. We also enjoy a meal together on our final week. It is typically the most fun.
This year’s program was a bit smaller than most, but we had a good group of immigrants and volunteers.
In fact, almost all of the immigrants are ready to take the test, and one of the participants, Warner Pallasch, took his Naturalization Test three days after the final day of our citizenship program, and he passed! Congratulations Werner!
Most of the others have submitted their applications, and it’s just a matter of knowing the material, knowing the process…
…and waiting for the call. Of late, it’s taken about a year from the time the immigrants pay and submit their applications to the time that they can test. Three of this year’s participants have already submitted their application. All of them worked hard this year to make success more likely.
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In addition to hearing from Ms. Biggar, the immigrants were also treated to BBQ sandwiches in the spirit of the Independence Day Holiday (they have to know 5-6 holidays for the Civics portion of the Naturalization Exam) and to the presence of Councilmember Dee Howard (thank you!) and last year’s HPL intern, Bianca Saldierna. Ms. Saldierna was a valuable LEAP Ambassador for two years, and she is now working at Woodforest National Bank as a fraud investigator.
The presence of these two special people made the final week more enjoyable, and we hope was a strong demonstration to the immigrants that they have the support of many people in the community. Congratulations to Warner, and hopes of future congratulations to all the participants in this year’s program!
For the 10th consecutive year, the LEAP Center partnered with the Huntsville Public Library (HPL) to offer a citizenship preparatory class to local citizens. Led by HPL intern Staci Antu, with volunteers from SHSU, the LEAP Center offered Tuesday night class to more than 30 immigrants for five weeks.
The class kicked off with words by local Council Member Joe Rodriguez, who discussed his immigrants parents and their struggles. He also discussed his career as a police officer, in the FBI, and in city government, as well as the benefits of citizenship.
Over the course of the first four weeks, the immigrants learned (1) the process of becoming a citizen…
…and (2) the questions that might be asked about the Civics portion of the Naturalization Exam. Although only one section of the test, this is in many respects the most important section. From a list of 100 questions pertaining to US history, politics, and geography, immigrants are asked a randomly generated 10 questions from the list of 100. They must get six correct to pass this portion of the test.
This year, 33 immigrants signed up for the class, representing 8 different countries and four continents. In addition, Doris Cooper, a local citizen, attended the class for a second year, taking notes, offering her own observations, and helping out. Other volunteers included SHSU students Jose Polio…
…Lizette Lopez…
…Bianca Saldierna, Jasmine Ortega, Melissa Flores, and Ashley Segura. Stephanie Fors, co-advisor to the LEAP Ambassadors, assisted for the 10th straight year.
Representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution came in on Week 4 and distributed pocket constitutions, flags, and other patriotic resources for the immigrants.
For the final week of the class, the featured speaker was local immigration attorney Audrey Biggar. Ms. Biggar discussed the legal aspects of becoming a US Citizen, discussed the application fee ($725), and answered (many) questions.
The final week is also the week that the class explores holidays. The Civics portion of the Naturalization class may include questions about holidays? Which holiday is observed on the last Monday in May? Or, which holiday is observed on the fourth Thursday in November? The answer to the latter question, of course, is Thanksgiving, and the immigrants and volunteers host their own Thanksgiving.
Each immigrant/volunteer brings food from their native country, providing a smorgasbord of wonderful food options–tamales, pupusas, spaghetti, collard greens, pork, chicken, cookies, rice pudding, cupcakes, and more! Even the drinks showed diversity: horchata, chocolate horchata, and refresco de ensalada.
KBTX also sent reports to the event, interviewing Gilda Bettis, an immigrant who, after 33 years in the US, is seeking her citizenship and Antu. It was Antu’s second time on television…
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…Bettis discussed her learning this semester…
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…and KBTX did a nice report on things–click on the photo below for the news story!
Each of the immigrants also got a certificate commending them on their achievement.
And we took a group shot to celebrate the accomplishment!
It was a great opportunity for the immigrants to move toward citizenship, and a reminder to the volunteers of the benefits of citizenship and the duties associated with being a citizen.
Although it was the first day of Spring Break, LEAP ambassadors were happy to attend 2016 League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Community Amigo Award Scholarship Banquet. Upon arrival, Brian and I were welcomed by John Escobedo, the President of Huntsville LULAC Council.
As we proceeded to take our seats, we found Former Mayor Mac Woodward, Mrs. Woodward, County Judge Pierce, and his wife Mrs. Pierce, and we were invited to join their table.
The program began with the performance of ballet folklorico, the local dance group directed by Anita Escobedo.
While we enjoyed dinner, Mr. Escobedo introduced the special guests of the night. Among those guests were Mayor Brauninger, Former Mayor Woodward, Council member Montgomery, County Judge Pierce, and Attorney Robert Cates, who was also the keynote speaker for the night.
Mr. Cates is an immigration attorney in Conroe who recently graduated from Baylor Law School. During his presentation he focused on educating the audience in the recent immigration reform by President Obama.
The presentation was followed by the awards presentation. We were excited to accept the Educator of the Year Award, which was given to the LEAP Center, largely for its annual “Citizenship Preparatory Course”–which, incidentally, begins tonight!
We were also happy to hear that Former Mayor Woodward received the Citizen of the Year Award(his second this year!)…
…and The Walker County Federal Credit Union received Business of the Year Award. In all it was a great event that allowed us to participate with another great organization!
For the eighth consecutive year, the LEAP Center (and its forerunner, the Junior Fellows) partnered with the Huntsville Public Library to lead a spring Citizenship class to immigrants. The class is five weeks long, one night a week, and it covers the major material on the Naturalization Exam.
This year, we had more than 30 people sign up, but scheduling difficulties reduced the number of immigrants who actually attended. With a core of about 10-15 immigrants per night, the LEAP Center students and volunteers (thank you Terry Stivers, Roberta Plant, and Carol Hayes) worked with these immigrants to help them learn American history and government. We had a fun kick-off, with the Mayor and council members stopping by on the first night (on their way to the parade):
LEAP Center Students & Councilmembers
To become a citizen, an immigrant must meet certain legal requirements. They have to be in the country for a specific length of time (which varies by whether you are married to a US citizen), have generally followed the law, and not have any egregious moral failings.
The test itself includes an oral section, where immigrants read statements; a written section, where immigrants write down sentences read to them; an oral interview, in which immigrants are asked about their past and behaviors (“are you often drunk?“, “have you ever been a prostitute?”); and they must answer correctly at least six out of ten questions pertaining to American government and history.
These questions range from naming one of the two longest rivers in the US to knowing three cabinet posts to knowing the name of the national anthem.
We covered these major topics over the course of the first four weeks. Karla Rosales, who took a leadership role in the program by virtue of her internship with the Huntsville Public Library, led off the proceedings with a bit of instructions…
Karla Rosales Presents to Immigrants
Although most of the presentations were led by Professor Yawn, the students worked with small groups of immigrants throughout the program.
It was also nice to receive community support. On week four, for example, the Daughters of the American Revolution attended and provided American-themed gifts to the immigrants–flags, pocket constitutions, pencils, and other fun things.
Patsyann Reed on Behalf of DAR
This was a big hit, especially among some of the immigrants’ children:
On the final week of the immigration class, the immigrants and volunteers relive the first Thanksgiving, with all participants bringing dishes from their native country and joining in a celebratory feast. The food is great!
Thanksgiving Dinner
Another special feature of the final week is the presentation made by Audrey Biggar, a local immigration attorney. She graciously agrees to assist the immigrants and provide advice for navigating the process. (She is also President of the Walker County Bar Association, making her one of the more civic-minded of the local bar.) She also brings great Thai food to the dinner!
Audrey Biggar Presents
Finally, the immigrants receive a certificate of completion, a prelude, we hope, to citizenship.
Jorge and Karla
And with one final group photo, the class is over.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the students and immigrants got back together. The Huntsville City Council invited the immigrants to a City Council meeting to be recognized for their efforts.
For the immigrants and the students, it was their first-ever City Council meeting and, again, a big hit among the kids.
Over the past eight years, the LEAP Center has worked with about 150 immigrants from more than 20 countries. Approximately 40 have obtained their citizenship.
