This story comes from Arlington Heights Memorial Library’s October 2020 newsletter.

“It’s gratifying to see the students grow and watch their progress.”- Steve Krasner, HIAS Immigration & Citizenship.

When the library’s first virtual offering of the U.S. Citizen Preparation Class begins in October, facilitating and guiding the program will be Steve Krasner, a dedicated volunteer and experienced instructor with JCFS Chicago’s HIAS Immigration & Citizenship, a Chicago-based organization that assists people through the immigration and citizenship process. Through an ongoing partnership with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, HIAS Immigration & Citizenship began offering citizenship education at the library in 2019 with sessions taking place in-person.

Now, in the wake of COVID-19, the U.S. Citizenship Preparation Class has moved online with an updated curriculum and resources tailored to its new virtual format. Similar to the in-person program, the class size is limited to 15 participants and the goal remains the same—to help students best prepare for the U.S. citizenship test and interview. Instructor Krasner is ready and enthused to get started.

“My goal is to try and make the virtual class as much as I can like the actual classroom,” said Krasner, “and by that I mean, the personal interchange. Building a rapport with the students is so important to understand who they are, where they are from and what they hope to achieve.”