Jay teacher becomes U.S. citizen

JAY — The U.S. is one citizen richer following a naturalization ceremony for Jay High School teacher Stacey Collins.

The native of England took her Oath of Allegiance March 15 at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

A day earlier, the high school's students and faculty surprised her with an assembly in her honor.

Collins has taught ninth-grade English and creative writing for the past two years — but has worked 13 years on becoming a citizen, ever since her family moved to the United States.

“My parents … came here on their honeymoon. They dreamed of coming here and living. They used to talk about it all the time," Collins said. "They moved here when I was a teenager. It’s taken until now to get through the whole process.”

Collins said life was more complicated with a green card versus full citizenship. More paperwork was required for high school, scholarships applications, college admission and employment.

After establishing 10 years of residency, Collins took the naturalization test. Being an English teacher, the writing part didn’t give her any worries.

But the civics test did.

“It was 100 questions (that needed to be memorized), but I only got asked six of them,” she said.

She studied the U.S Constitution, geography, the government and American history.

“One of them was how many amendments are there? … (and) what are the two longest rivers? They asked a lot of questions about people, historical people … current representatives.”

Going through the process, Collins sympathized with others whose native language wasn’t English.

“For me I feel it was significantly easier than for someone that came from a non-English speaking country and had to learn English and go through the process, so I definitely have more respect for those people,” she said.

Collins said she received a lot of help from her husband David, whom she met in Orlando before the couple moved to Milton. They’ve been together approximately seven years and married for three.

“It’s been a little bit crazy having to drive to New Orleans for fingerprints, Birmingham to do the test, extensive periods of wait time in-between," he said.

Jay students and staff were able to keep the March 14 assembly a secret.

“I was so nervous,” she said, “I knew something was going on. Everyone wearing red, white and blue and I wasn’t and it wasn’t dress-up day. I was texting (David), ‘I don’t know what’s happening,'" she said.

"It was … really sweet and everyone came together.”

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Jay teacher becomes U.S. citizen