Shoushounova (Nova) Dallas ’12
A Path to Citizenship
When Shoushounova (Nova) Dallas ’12 first stepped on to American soil in 1998, she thought something was wrong with the trees. “Why don’t they have leaves?” she remembers thinking. The nine-year old from Jamaica had never experienced winter. “I don’t think I even saw a picture with snow,” Nova said. “Arriving in Hartford in the middle of winter was a total shock.”
In the years since, Nova and her family have created a happy life in Connecticut. She lives with her parents, sisters and three-year old daughter in Hartford, and is studying Nursing at Saint Joseph College. A certified nurse’s assistant since the age of 16, Nova graduated in the top of her class from Weaver High School and came to college clear in her desire to work in the nursing profession.
“I’ll always have a good job …”
“Working in the field, I heard about the College’s Nursing program and knew I would get a great education,” she said. “Because there is a need for nurses, I feel confident I’ll always have a good job and be able to take care of my daughter, Ariana.”
Nova has nothing but praise for her time at the College even though she is juggling a busy schedule. In addition to her studies and caring for Ariana, Nova works 16-24 hours a week in home health care. “It gets crazy sometimes balancing it all, but I have great support from my parents and family,” she said.
Becoming a U.S. Citizen
In the midst of this busy time, Nova was inspired to take on another task: that of becoming a U.S. citizen. She and her family were permanent residents with green cards, so as a child, she was never aware of differences between her status and that of her peers. When she started thinking about paying for college, though, she learned that some funds were contingent upon citizenship.
“I panicked a bit, but because I graduated 12th in my class, I received merit scholarships and was able to come to Saint Joseph College,” Nova recalled. The idea of citizenship stayed with her, though. She filed her application and then waited months until they contacted her for the naturalization test. Of course it came right in the middle of finals, but I took it seriously and studied,” she said. On June 19th she took the oral exam and passed with a 100%. The swearing-in ceremony took place in July in Hartford’s court house.
Casting her vote
“The whole thing felt great,” Nova said. “I was so excited about voting in my first election. I think I always avoided politics because I couldn’t participate, so to be part of such a historic election was amazing.” Most of all, Nova thinks about her daughter: “although Ariana is a citizen by birth, I think my becoming one sets a good example for her. I’m so grateful to be here, living my life and earning my degree. I look ahead and I see that my daughter will have a great life.”
