High school students ‘form connections’ by volunteering at Joliet Spanish Community Center

Students at a New Lenox Catholic school recently gave Spanish-speaking students at a Joliet center practice in their English language skills and future civics test.

On April 11, 15 Spanish Honors Society members from Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox and their teacher Lara DeVries conducted mock citizenship interviews to participants at the Spanish Community Center in Joliet.

Sophia Leverett, co-president of the Spanish Honors Society at Providence with Alex Beltran, said the experience was “eye-opening.” Leverett said she learned how the naturalization process worked and was surprised at the information future citizens were required to know – especially since Leverett herself didn’t always know the answers.

Furthermore, Leverett loved using her Spanish skills to benefit others.

“It helped me understand the language more,” she said. “It helped me form a connection with whom I was trying to help.”

As part of the Spanish Honor Society, guiding people through the mock citizenship process wasn’t just about assessing their language skills or practicing my own fluency in Spanish. It was about encouraging a sense of belonging within our community for all involved.”

—  Mike Moss, member of the Spanish Honors Society at Providence Catholic High School in New Lenox

New American Initiative Director David Flores at the Spanish Community Center said working with different volunteers gives the center’s students exposure to nuances in accents and pronunciations within the English language.

He hopes to continue the partnership with Providence and encourages others in the community to volunteer at the Spanish Community Center, too. Such partnerships are beneficial for the center’s students, he said.

“It just makes them more comfortable when they go to their real interview,” Flores said. “I got a lot of good feedback from our citizenship students saying it was very helpful for them.”

Real-world experience for students

DeVries, chair of the world languages department at Providence, said she became acquainted with the Spanish Community Center during the COVID-19 pandemic when she began volunteering by doing virtual mock interviews.

She used her Spanish-speaking skills to support the community, learned the process for becoming a citizen and wondered how she could get Providence students involved in a practical way with this local nonprofit, DeVries said.

“The Spanish Community Center – in my GPS – was 13 minutes away,” DeVries said. “They were really our neighbors.”

Each student and DeVries worked with two participants for 30 minutes per participant, she said. They made “small talk” about the weather and then proceeded into the interviews.

The volunteers received an orientation before the mock interviews began and a tour of the center at its conclusion, DeVries said, adding that the Spanish Community Center “welcomed us with open arms.”

DeVries is looking forward to more volunteer opportunities on a regular basis.

“The end game really, for me, is to get kids to utilize the gifts and talents that they have in an environment where people can benefit – can really utilize – something that they are able to offer,” she said.

[ Spanish teacher at Providence Catholic H.S. in New Lenox teaches love for cultures through language. ]

Providence Spanish Honors Society member Mikey Moss said in an email that “helping people prepare for their citizenship interviews was an eye-opening experience.”

“Being able to communicate using both their native language of Spanish and English helped me connect with them not only through verbal communication, but it helped me connect on a more personal level,” Moss wrote. “I could sense the feeling of empowerment they felt being able to make progress toward becoming official citizens.

Moss said he definitely wanted to participate in the event again, especially after witnessing the determination of future citizens during the mock interviews, which confirmed his belief in importance of inclusive communities.

“As part of the Spanish Honor Society, guiding people through the mock citizenship process wasn’t just about assessing their language skills or practicing my own fluency in Spanish,” Moss wrote. “It was about encouraging a sense of belonging within our community for all involved.”

To volunteer at the Spanish Community Center in Joliet, call David Flores at 815-727-3683, ext. 5004, or call Kenya Ortega at ext. 5008.