The Goodness of America
Citizenship Celebration
When Florida elementary-school teacher Annmarie Small took her oath of citizenship after 13 years of living in the United States, the courtroom was packed with her students, both past and present, who wanted to be there for her big day.
Small was born in Kingston, Jamaica, where she struggled as a teacher raising her five-year-old son. She came to the United States 13 years ago in hopes of a better life. “I was struggling financially in Jamaica and even having a master’s degree, I wasn’t able to make ends meet,” she said.
She was hired to teach at Cornerstone Learning Academy, a small, K-8 private school in Tallahassee, where she says she found enormous support in her path to citizenship. “I’ve had the support of Cornerstone since day one,” she told ABC News.
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