Margaret Chaves-Smith (center) is flanked by her children, Roberto and Margarita, at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Durham, on the day she officially became a citizen. (Submitted photo)
Vance-Granville Community College Spanish instructor Margaret Chaves-Smith of Oxford is one of the newest citizens of the United States. A native of Costa Rica, Chaves-Smith has lived in the United States for 21 years and has been a full-time faculty member at VGCC since 2000.
In May, Chaves-Smith took the Oath of Allegiance at a naturalization ceremony at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Durham. “It was one of the happiest days of my life,” Chaves-Smith said of the day she became a citizen. “It was very interesting and emotional at the same time….To me, what it means is freedom.”
Taking the oath marked the end of a long process for Chaves-Smith, who previously held a visa as an educator and then a “green card” for ten years. Before she could become a citizen, she went through an interview and took three tests, covering reading, writing, and history. Chaves-Smith scored perfectly on all three assessments, and was immediately approved for citizenship. She was “inducted” and sworn in as a U.S. citizen along with 57 other people from 32 different countries in a two-hour ceremony, as proud family members watched.
Chaves-Smith first came to the United States as part of the Visiting International Faculty Program in 1994, after graduating from the University of Costa Rica. She then taught at North Elementary School in Caswell County and Beaufort Academy in South Carolina before coming to VGCC. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in the teaching of languages from the University of Southern Mississippi.
In addition to her teaching duties, Chaves-Smith has served as the advisor for the VGCC Spanish Club. She received the VGCC President’s Leadership Award in 2006 after helping to lead a study-abroad trip to Costa Rica.