Story Update: In early April, Pramuan and his wife both received their U.S. citizenship after successfully passing their naturalization exams and interviews. We are so proud of their achievements! 

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It was a similar scene for weeks inside the Snohomish County Job Training and Education Center in South Everett.  Every Wednesday, sitting side-by-side late into the evening, Pramuan and his wife attended class with the same goal of one day being able to permanently call the United States home.

During a lesson on historically significant events in U.S. history, Pramuan was asked to recite questions from a flashcard at the front of the class – “Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?”

Roughly seven years after moving to the United States from Thailand, Pramuan and his wife have been working hard to become U.S. citizens; however, adjusting to life in Washington state hasn’t been the easiest process.

“When I first arrived in America, I had a lot of difficulty living because I listened and spoke [limited] English,” said Pramuan. 

That’s until he learned about Goodwill.  

“At Everett, I know Goodwill from my Thai friends, which they even studied English and citizenship test preparation,” Pramuan said. “So I applied for citizenship preparation and English here.”

Pramuan first enrolled in Evergreen Goodwill’s English for Speakers of Other Languages Program and later a Citizenship Test Preparation class. Over the course of several months, Pramuan’s English language skills drastically improved, according to one of his instructors, Yinebeb Tessema.

“He is one of my proactive and best students that I have in the class,” Yinebeb said. “He took the initiatives for his learning.”

But for Pramuan and his wife, time spent in class wasn’t only about their own ability to succeed. Table-by-table, they delegated time to assist others with their learning – creating an ever-present feeling of comradery.

“I love the way that he is just actively involving in each activities in that classroom,” Yinebeb said.

Pramuan said his instructors, like Yinebeb, have been transformative and have helped him reimagine life as he knows it.

“Yinebeb helped me with a lot of things that made my life better than ever and achieved my goals,” said Pramuan. “[Goodwill] allowed me to learn about myself in living here and a lot of things that I must know.”

As for the future, Pramuan is looking to continue studying hard.

“I want to improve my English that can communicate with the people, and I want to be a citizen here,” Pramuan said.             

He has also taken a vested interest in spreading the word about the Goodwill mission.

“I want to tell anyone about Goodwill – that Goodwill help people,” Pramuan said.

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Since 2019, at least 59 Evergreen Goodwill students have successfully become U.S. citizens. If you or someone you know is interested in enrolling in one of our Citizenship Test Preparation courses, click here.