The Pledge of Allegiance is read loud and proud inside the classroom of Mr. Fernando Ramirez on Wednesday. His students are from different parts of the world and he's bringing them together with English language.
"As immigrants come to this country, they hold on to their beliefs and customs of their country because nobody takes time anymore to teach them to be Americans." Said Ramirez.
The retiree from Port Arthur ISD created a non-profit organization called "Immigrant Education Center." that offers free classes to those who want to learn English and pass the U.S. Citizenship Exam.
"I want to be the voice and help our immigrants and we have a lot of immigrants here!" Ramirez told 12News.
Maria Coronado De Siguentes is from Mexico and has been living in the U.S. for 20 years. Her goal is to become a United States citizen.
"I hope one day I'll be a citizen for the United States because this country helped me a lot." She said.
27-year-old Paola Romero comes to class with her daughter, Rebeca. The two love learning together. "I want to learn more English and how to speak it." Romero Said.
Ramirez teaches classes at the Port Arthur Public Library and at the Immigration Education Center in Beaumont.
For more information about classes click here: http://www.immigranteducationcenter.org/