Guatemalan family of four attain citizenship with help from Castro Valley Adult and Career Education
Gustavo Zielke and his wife, Rode, were born in Guatemala. There, Gustavo worked as a salesman, selling snacks, and Rode attended college, studying business administration—an educational goal she didn’t finish.
The two later married and eventually had children, a son—Gustavo Jr., now aged 24, and a daughter, Miah, age 16. After Gustavo’s parents came to the United States in the mid-1990s, Gustavo and Rode, seeking a better future for themselves and their children, immigrated to the U.S. as well in 2012. Gustavo was 46 when he arrived, his wife 40. Here, they hoped to achieve U.S. citizenship, a goal they eventually reached with help from Castro Valley Adult and Career Education (CVACE).
The parents found themselves having to learn a new language quickly. Rode and her children picked it up first—she was responsible for helping the kids at school and says that, in a way, her kids served as young English teachers.
“When I was told I passed [the U.S. citizenship test], I couldn’t believe it. It was an amazing moment.”
Gustavo Zielke, Sr., Castro Valley Adult & Career Education Student and U.S. Citizen
Rode took two parenting workshops at CVACE, and in Spring 2022 the couple enrolled in the school’s online citizenship preparation course to begin readying for their citizenship test.
“[My favorite part of the class was] when we would group up and get to learn about other people,” Gustavo Sr. says. “There were many different nationalities exchanging ideas in these groups.”
He recalls seeing Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindu, Latino and other nationalities and ethnic groups in the class.
The class lectures even provided the entire family with ample bonding opportunities. Rode remembers an exchange she had with her daughter, as she talked about learning about the 13 U.S. colonies. Excited, her husband chimed in: “Oh yeah! I know the 13 colonies!”
To pass the citizenship test, candidates must answer six out of 10 questions correctly. Sounds simple in theory, but the 10 questions are culled from a selection of 100. This means test takers need to study the answers to every question.
The Zielke family praises their teacher, Cindi Grovhoug, who helped them thoroughly understand and review questions that would be on the exam.
Gustavo Jr. didn’t take the citizenship prep course, but took the test alongside his parents, and passed. Rode recalls feeling nervous, yet confident. She successfully answered six questions, but Gustavo Sr. fell short.
Undeterred, the elder Gustavo re-enrolled in the class the following semester. When he retook the test, he also passed.
“When I was told I passed, I couldn’t believe it.” he says, adding he even asked again to be sure. “’You’re serious … I passed?’ It was an amazing moment.”
Rode felt similar emotions. “I was so nervous, but I was so happy,” she says.
The youngest Zileke, Miah, also benefited from her parents passing the test. When parents are naturalized, their minor children automatically become citizens.
The experience left the Zielke family with cherished memories, as well as that coveted U.S. citizenship, prompting them to encourage others to also enroll in the course.
Grovhoug—whom the Zielkes praise and refer to as Miss Cindi—says she has a great respect for the couple: “Rode and Gustavo Sr. are a wonderful, warm and friendly couple who showed great determination and perseverance in faithfully attending classes and putting in the preparation necessary to pass the citizenship test,” she says.
She added that the current class session has more than 20 students, and that around that same number of students successfully passed their citizenship tests in the last year. Rode has continued at the school, and is currently enrolled in Grovhoug’s Advanced level online English class—along with her sister-in-law.
“The Zielkes were so proud and joyful to become US citizens, and I am extremely proud to have been able to support them and welcome them as new citizens!”
Castro Valley Adult and Career Education is part of the Mid-Alameda County Consortium (MACC), one of 71 consortia of adult education providers across the state. The MACC includes Chabot College, Las Positas College, Eden ROP, Tri Valley ROP, and the adult schools in Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore, New Haven, Pleasanton, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo. For more information about Castro Valley Adult and Career Education, go to www.cvadult.org. For more information about the MACC and its member schools, go to www.macc4ae.org.
Written by Julian Mendoza
| Regions | Classes |
|---|---|
| Bay Area California | English as a Second Language |
