A native of Spiddal, Co. Galway, Barbara Garrigan emigrated on her own in 1983 and made a life for herself in the United States. She renewed her Green Card multiple times, but it was only in May of this year, when she became aware of the assistance IIIC Citizenship Services provides, that she took the next step and applied for U.S. Citizenship.
Garrigan is the mother of three and is immensely grateful for the help she received from the Citizenship Services staff. Speaking with Citizenship Outreach Worker Toni Earls, Garrigan said, “Your organization was instrumental in my applying for citizenship. You all couldn’t have been nicer and more helpful.”
As a participant in the IIIC’s first Citizenship workshop held in Quincy, Garrigan was very pleased with the level of service and consideration she received from IIIC employees and volunteers. “The workshop was so well run. It was very organized and the process was seamless.”
Her concerns about applying were eased by the level of expertise and the attention to detail exhibited by IIIC staff. “The application seemed daunting at first and I really had no idea what I was getting into but working with John and Toni was a great comfort…The fact that my application and documentation were checked and rechecked and I was confident that it was filled out perfectly eased my mind about the whole thing.”
Garrigan encouraged everyone, particularly other Irish people who have been toying with the idea of applying, to do so sooner rather than later. “It’s something I wish that I had done earlier. Having a place like the IIIC as a resource is wonderful. You have a wealth of information for people and, with your help, it wasn’t as difficult as I expected it to be.”
Barbara Garrigan was sworn in and officially became a citizen of the United States in a ceremony at TD Bank north Garden on September 11th, 2012, registered to vote immediately afterwards, and is looking forward to voting in her first U.S. Presidential election.
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