June is an exciting month for Bridgett**, a single mom involved at Compassion Child Care. Bridgett just completed the Pivot program, a year-long curriculum where CCC parents meet with a staff member once a month to create and achieve goals that are important and relevant to their unique situation. Many who go through the curriculum choose goals that are related to their finances (budgeting, debt reduction, savings) but Bridgett had a unique pursuit; she immigrated many years ago and wanted to take the steps to become a US citizen.

For Bridgett, the primary obstacle to citizenship was that she felt her writing skills were inadequate and she would not be able to navigate the complex application process. When the CCC team members first started meeting with Bridgett they told her that if she said what words to write they would be happy to help her with the written portion of the application. But as it turned out, Bridgett had nicer handwriting than the CCC staff member she was meeting with.

Confidence, not ability, was the main hurdle for her to overcome.

As the team continued meeting with Bridgett, her confidence grew. She soon began filling out the application paperwork herself. Once she completed the application, she studied the material for her citizenship test diligently on her own for three months and passed the test in April.

Ultimately, June is exciting for Bridgett because she became a US citizen on June 16th! Along the way she secured a visa for her daughter to come to the US, and is also currently helping her mother get a visa. The Pivot program did not teach Bridgett a plethora of new skills, but instead it helped her unlock skills and ability that she already had. Bridgett achieved a phenomenal result for her family and she now knows that she has the tools to continue to move her family forward long after her kids graduate from CCC.

** Bridgett’s real name has been changed to keep her identity private