Campus News
Two Arcadia Faculty Members Acquire U.S. Citizenship
(Continued from Bulletin home page)
Upon her arrival, she started working at the Assistive Technology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. And, after her one-year exchange ended, she began working on a Ph.D. in Special Education at Temple University.
Coming to the U.S. had its difficulties. “In the U.S., I had to start all over and had to prove myself all the time—as a doctoral student, as a professional, as a person,” she says.
“People equate one’s command of a language with one’s intelligence,” she continues. “So, for those of us for who English is not our first language, we need to demonstrate that we are capable, that we have something valuable to offer.”
At Arcadia, however, she has always felt comfortable. “Teaching at Arcadia University has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Because of Arcadia’s commitment to international cultures and experiences, I have always felt at home,” she says. Slesaransky-Poe began working at Arcadia eight years ago.
While she will always be an Argentinean at heart, she is happy to be an American citizen and to acquire the privileges U.S. citizens enjoy. “I am so excited that the first time I will be able to vote…it will be for an African American man,” she says.
Also recently naturalized was Dr. Gonzalez-Lopez. Gonzalez-Lopez left Bogota, Colombia, 18 years ago with her husband so the two of them could continue their higher education studies in the United States.
After working at Arcadia for a year, Gonzalez-Lopez decided to apply for the Doctor of Education in Special Education program. She says her work and advanced degree helped secure her citizenship. “Being able to have a job and advanced degree are good references to petition citizenship,” she says.
Gonzalez-Lopez has worked with the B2EST Program for five years. “Arcadia and the B2EST Program have been great. I have been able to work, study and take care of my family,” she says.
Although the process to attaining citizenship was long, difficult and expensive, Gonzalez-Lopez is pleased to be an American citizen. “I feel proud to say that we came on our own with very little money and we were able to study, work and start a family.”