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Originally from Venezuela, Yris Rodriguez came to the United States 6 years ago, more specifically, in September 2015.  During those years, Venezuela had been going through political changes that caused social and economic struggles for its citizens. Yris’s daughter had been living in the U.S. for a while and after finding out she was pregnant, asked her mother to come help her. Without hesitation, Yris left her homeland, family, lifelong friends and material belongings in or

On November 16, 2021 Maria Ruiz successfully completed the most daunting and difficult part of the American citizenship process: the USCIS naturalization test. Fresh from passing her naturalization test, Maria was eager to describe the process of her interview, when she met via Zoom to talk with Isabella Embile, one of BIIN’s fall 2021 interns with the citizenship classes. First, Maria had to drive to the USCIS Field Office in San Antonio to take her exam. With the spread of

Nereida Lopez attended college in Mexico, but was unable to find work in her field. Like many people who have come to the U.S. in search of greater opportunities, Nereida quickly realized that in order to realize her dreams she needed better skills in English. “The only way I could show what I know,” she said, “is to speak English. Regardless of your education or where you live, to get ahead in the U.S. you have to speak English.” To learn more about how Nereida discovered B

Many of BIIN’s community partners over the years have been faith-based organizations.  BIIN itself was created by people who had witnessed the frequency with which low-income immigrant neighbors appealed to local churches for help in resolving various problems.  Even if some of these churches were not places where immigrants gathered for worship, the thought was that given the emphasis on “welcoming the stranger” in Judeo-Christian theology, local faith communities might be

Josefa Contreras Cuevas is one of the students in the Level 2 Conversational English classes at BIIN, but her story is quite unique and sets her apart from other students. Unlike most of the other students, Josefa does not live in the Bryan/College Station area, or even in the United States for that matter. Originally born in Guanajuato, Mexico, Josefa moved at an early age to Tijuana, Mexico where she has spent most of her life and continues to live.  Seeking help to improve

Rafael Sepulveda is one the faithful few that have been attending the level 3 conversational English classes at BIIN this fall, and his hard work and determination extend beyond the realm of class. Originally from San Germán, Puerto Rico, Rafael moved to College Station in April of 2017, citing his partner’s getting a job at Texas A&M as a key reason for his relocation. Rafael is not the only one in his family to move to the continental United States; he has aunts that live i

BIIN has long relied on allied organizations, known as “community partners,” to support its mission in various ways:  by providing space for offices or special events, funding or in-kind donations, specialized expertise, help in recruiting volunteers, and other kinds of support.  Many of BIIN’s founders were leaders from various local congregations who saw providing support for immigrants as a natural extension of their faith.  As a result, many of our community partners over

Nicolas Aguirre shared his story with Carolina Kane, a BIIN intern in the summer of 2021, who wrote this profile. Originally from Guerrera, Mexico, Nicolas Aguirre grew up in a small town. Things were difficult for him and his family, as their hometown had poor infrastructure, limited opportunities for a formal education, and no electricity until the 1980s. So when an uncle who was living in Texas reached out, Nicolas decided to follow and made it to Houston in 1995. The tran

A relatively new student to the BIIN community, Brenda has worked to take advantage of the resources BIIN provides. In January 2021, she began attending BIIN’s online citizenship classes. Brenda moved from Mexico to Texas in 2016 and is now looking towards getting U.S. citizenship. Legal permanent residents must live in the U.S. for five years before applying for citizenship, and Brenda is excited to begin that process now that she has reached that benchmark. Although she is