ReadyForCitizenship

When my mom decided to pursue her dream of becoming a U.S. citizen, I saw a spark in her eyes I hadn’t seen in years. She’d worked hard her whole life, built a home for us, and now she wanted to claim this milestone. But as she started studying for the citizenship test, that spark dimmed. She’d sit at the kitchen table, flipping through flashcards, her brow furrowed with worry. “I’ll never pass,” she’d say, her voice trembling. It wasn’t the history or civics questions that scared her—it was the reading and writing sections. English wasn’t her first language, and she doubted every word she spoke or wrote.

I couldn’t just watch her struggle. I’d seen how determined she was, how much this meant to her, and I knew there had to be a better way to help her practice. That’s when the idea for ReadyForCitizenship.com hit me. What if I could build something tailored to her fears? Something that didn’t just quiz her on facts, but actually built her confidence in the skills she dreaded most?

I got to work. I created a website with a speech recognition tool, using the browser’s built-in tech, so she could practice reading aloud. She’d say a sentence—like “The flag has stars”—and the system would check her pronunciation. If she stumbled, it’d gently nudge her to try again until she nailed it. Her face lit up the first time she got it right; she’d laugh and say, “See? I *can* do this!” For the writing part, I added a module where she’d click a speaker button, hear a phrase—like “We vote in November”—and type what she heard. It trained her ear and her fingers at the same time, turning her anxiety into a game she could win.

Day by day, I watched her grow. She’d practice late into the night, her voice steadier, her spelling sharper. When she finally took the test, she passed with flying colors. “You made this for me,” she said, hugging me tight, tears in her eyes. But I realized it wasn’t just for her—there were so many others out there, scared like she’d been, who deserved the same chance.

That’s why I launched ReadyForCitizenship.com. It’s simple because it has to be. And it’s built with love—because it started with my mom, and now it’s for everyone chasing the same goal.