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Whenoma Naficy arrived in Hartford, Conn., from Paris as an 18-year-old in the 1990s, she had no idea she'd become a US citizen a decade later.
But her path to citizenship wasn't an easy one, she tells the Hartford Courant.
"I went through a lot," says the French-born Naficy, who became executive director of the Hartford Public Library's American Place program for immigrants and refugees in 2010.
"I had to learn English.
I had to learn how to write an essay.
I had to learn how to present myself in front of an immigration officer."
That's where Naficy came in: With the help of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the library's program for immigrants and refugees has become "a magnet for new arrivals seeking immigration information, resources for learning English, and help with preparation for applying for UScitizenship," Naficy says.
"The immigrant journey is not an easy one," Naficy says.
"But for many of them the library can offer a glimmer of hope and a community connected to their needs as they embrace our shared civic values while never losing their identities."
Naficy was named a Champion of Change by
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