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This story was corrected on Feb. 15, 2011. An explanation follows the story.

Phyllis Okechukwu's grandchildren do not understand why their 74-year-old grandmother wants to learn the Pledge of Allegiance.

They do not know they are one of many reasons Okechukwu, originally from Sri Lanka, wants to be an American, and they are the reason she came to the country.

Okechukwu moved to Germantown permanently in 2006 to take care of her grandchildren. She is taking a class to prepare for the citizenship test, which she hopes to take by September.

The free class is held at the Charles W. Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity, which provides services for immigrants at the Upcounty Regional Services Center in Germantown.

The center also helps people to fill out forms, offers one-on-one consultation for those applying for citizenship and brings in a law group once a month to offer free legal assistance.

Once a week for eight weeks, the class of about 20 people spends two hours learning the basics of American history and government and interview skills for a naturalization test.

The largest roadblock for students is language, as English is a second language for all of the class members, said Patty Larson, an AmeriCorps fellow who runs the classes in the Gilchrist Center.

Okechukwu's native language is Sinhalese, but she speaks English fluently.

She and her classmates must be dedicated to get through the rigorous course and preparation, Larson said.

"Some Americans wouldn't even know the answers to the test questions."

Moving to America

Legal residents are able to apply for citizenship after living in the country for five years, or three years if they are married to a citizen.

Since 2004, there has been an upward trend in the number of people moving each year from foreign countries to the D.C. metropolitan area, according to data from the Department of Homeland Security.

While 42,567 became legal permanent residents in 2009, only 32,274 immigrated in 2004.

Casa of Maryland opened in 1985 to meet the needs of immigrants to the D.C. area, said Anna Anderson, the organization's New Americans Partnership coordinator.

Of the 110,000 legal permanent residents in Maryland who were eligible to obtain citizenship in 2006, 50,000 lived in Montgomery County. But only 11,613 legal permanent residents were naturalized in 2007, Anderson said.

Casa of Maryland developed the New Americans Citizenship Project of Maryland in 2009 and placed 12 AmeriCorps fellows in centers across the state, such as the Gilchrist Center, to provide services for immigrants.

The project was funded in part by an AmeriCorps grant received in 2009. In September, the organization received a second grant, of $152,438, to support the program for one year.

Although citizenship classes were offered across the state before the fellows stepped in, the project has helped provide unified, all-encompassing services to all areas, Anderson said.

Many immigrants, such as Rita Seidenman of Germantown, left their homeland for opportunity.

Seidenman moved to the area from Peru in 2003 after meeting her husband, Steven, who already lived in the area.

Seidenman is enrolled in the class and hopes to apply for citizenship next month.

"I moved here for many reasons — to look for opportunity for a better life," she said. "You see this country and they have liberty. You can express your ideas without anyone looking at you like you are a bad person."

Peru does not have good politics, she said.

"The founding fathers, for me, they are very good, wise people to create one nation together," she said.

jbondeson@gazette.net

Citizenship test

Those applying for U.S. citizenship must correctly answer six of ten American history or government questions on a naturalization test.

Any of the following questions may be on the test:

What is the supreme law of the land?

What is the economic system in the U.S.?

Who is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. military?

Name one of the writers of the Federalist Papers.

When is the last day you can send in federal income tax forms?

Answers: 1. the U.S. Constitution; 2. capitalist or market economy; 3. the President of the U.S.; 4. James Madison or "Publius," Alexander Hamilton or John Jay; 5. April 15

The original version of this story incorrectly identified Rita Seidenman's husband.