<p>Widener Commonwealth Law School students recently had the opportunity for the first time to help aspiring U.S. citizens and learn about the citizenship process as part of Catholic Charities&rsquo; Citizenship Day in Harrisburg.</p>
<p>The annual event brings together individuals preparing to apply for citizenship and volunteers who coach them in a U.S. citizenship interview practice session.</p>
<p>Eight Widener students, one alumnus and Professor Jill Family, director of the Law and Government Institute, participated in the Citizenship Day in November.</p>
<p>Catholic Charities of Harrisburg operates an immigration and refugee services program that provides resources to immigrants and refugees, including resettlement, employment and legal assistance and English classes.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It was definitely eye-opening,&rdquo; said Katie Paradise &rsquo;21, vice president of the Law and Government Student Society and a Patrick J. Murphy Fellow. &ldquo;The students are at various stages in their citizenship journey, so some are just about ready to interview and some are just in the beginning stages of thinking about applying.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Working one-on-one, volunteers went through the interview with about 20 students, including communication, reading, writing and civics sections, as well as going over details of their application.</p>
<p>Paradise said she and fellow law students were surprised at the difficulty of the questions, particularly for those who may have language barriers. &ldquo;Some of the law students couldn&rsquo;t answer them,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>"It was wonderful to volunteer with the students.&nbsp; I'm so proud of the work the students did in setting up the opportunity and lending a hand,&rdquo; said Professor Family, who counts immigration law as one of her areas of expertise. &ldquo;The experience helped them to see how law has profound effects on people's lives."</p>
<p>The student organizers said they want to establish Citizenship Day as a regular volunteer event for the&nbsp; Widener community.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We are hoping this will become an annual event for the Law and Government Student Society,&rdquo; said Kimberly Creech, &rsquo;20, president of the society and also a Patrick J. Murphy Fellow.</p>