Cristine Bowens moved to Massachusetts from St. Vincent and the Grenadines in 1999 in search of better job opportunities, leaving her three children behind with her parents. After 20 years working in childcare, Bowens had a health scare and decided to take time off and process her citizenship. She turned to nonprofit Project Citizenship for help with her application and was referred to OPA’s 1% interest loan to help pay for the citizenship application fee. Bowens officially became a citizen in December 2022.
“It was a proud moment when I took the oath,” she said. Since then, she has been able to petition for her children to become citizens, purchase a home in Brockton and register to vote.
Watch Cristine's story:
