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★ OLGA MIKHAILOVNA BOBKO
22 YEARS OLD
MISSOULA, MONTANA
BELARUS
★ MARIA CRISTINA TOMLIN
38 YEARS OLD
KALISPELL, MONTANA
MEXICO
BELARUS TO THE BIG SKY
AN AMERICAN IN HER HEART
O★ BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
LGA MIKHAILOVNA BOBKO
grew up in Missoula. She
attended public school there, completed a semester at the University of Montana and has spent the last three years working as an assistant at a law o ce.
If you run into Bobko and speak with her for a few moments, you’d be forgiven for assuming she’s a native Montanan. But in fact, until last week, she wasn’t even an American citizen, despite hav- ing spent 21 of her 22 years in Montana.
Bobko was born in the Eastern European country of Belarus, which was a republic of the Soviet Union until 1990. A few months after she was born, her aunt moved to the United States, and soon after Bobko’s family followed. They settled in Missoula’s Russian commu- nity and started a new life, while staying true to their heritage. The family spoke Russian at home and, for the most part, maintained the same lifestyle as back in Belarus. While the carryover culture of Missoula’s Russian community was comforting, it was also insulating.
“Even though I grew up here, I never really felt American,” she said. “I’m 22 years old and some American culture is still odd to me.”
Although putting down roots in the United States, Bobko, her parents and her brother never became o cial U.S.
citizens. But even though she had status as a permanent resident, Bobko began wondering whether she was missing out — she couldn’t vote, she often had trouble explaining her residency status when applying for jobs and she occa- sionally worried that if foreign rela- tions changed, she could be sent back to a place she’s never really known. She also said it’s complicated to travel over- seas with a green card, and she wanted to visit family members in Europe whom she’s never met. Although she’s spoken to her grandparents via Skype, she’s never seen them in person.
Earlier this year, Bobko began the process of becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. She submitted her application and spent hours studying history; she passed the exam with ying colors. When it came time for her to select where to take her oath, the nal step to becoming a naturalized citizen, she jumped at the chance to do it in Glacier National Park.
“This is already a special ceremony for me, so I gured it should be in a spe- cial place, too,” she said.
Bobko said she’s proud of her her- itage and wants to preserve it to hand down to her children. But she also said being a naturalized citizen will open new doors and expand her opportunities.
“I don’t know if most people realize all of the opportunities they get as an American citizen,” she said. “I think a lot of people might take it for granted.” ★
M★ BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
ARIA CRISTINA TOMLIN
realized she wanted to become
a naturalized U.S. citizen in an airport security line. As her fellow pas- sengers handed over their passports to the security guard, she looked down at hers and noticed something di erent: it was green.
“It sounds funny, but I didn’t want my green passport anymore,” she said. “I wanted it to be blue like everyone else.”
Tomlin had a Mexican passport even though the 38-year-old woman only lived there for a few years as a child. When she was a year old, Tomlin’s mother came to the United States to nd work, and a few years later, when she was 4, she came north with her grand- mother. Tomlin became a permanent resident and lived in Texas and Florida before moving to the Kalispell area last year, where she works at a grocery store.
“In my heart, I’ve always been an American,” Tomlin said. “I went to school here, I work here, my family is here.”
Tomlin is one of the thousands of Mexicans who become naturalized U.S. citizens every year. In 2014, more than
95,000 Mexicans took the oath of alle- giance to become Americans, more than any other nationality.
Although she feels closer to her adopted country than Mexico, Tomlin said the rhetoric about immigration that has emerged from this year’s presiden- tial race has frustrated her (although she doesn’t care for either major party candidate, Tomlin said she plans to vote anyway, just so she can use her newly acquired right). In Florida, she remem- bers seeing hundreds of people of His- panic descent, some citizens, some not, working in elds. She says they are just as important to the country as citizens who were born here.
“We all rely on each other and we all play a role in society,” she said.
Earlier this year, Tomlin submitted her application and started studying for the oral history exam. After passing the test, the only thing left was to take an oath of allegiance, which she did on a cold morning in Glacier National Park as her family looked on. With that, Tom- lin was one step closer to getting a blue passport.
“It’s been a long time coming,” she said, smiling. “I did this for me.” ★
SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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