Thailand Woman “Living the Dream” of U.S. Citizenship
Kanya Schwickrath is one of the newest United States citizens. Originally from Thailand, she now resides with her husband, Jerry, in Kittanning.
by David Croyle
She called it “a dream come true.”
That is how Kanya Schwickrath described the feeling of becoming a United States citizen this summer.
Kanya was born in 1964 in Thailand and lived her life there. She is the mother of two sons who still reside in Thailand.
In 2010, she came to the United States to visit with her son in New York City. However, she never thought in a million years that she would meet her future husband there.
“I come to visit my son. I go to New York and I met my husband in New York.”
Jerry Schwickrath is from Kittanning, and was also visiting in New York. He also never thought he would meet the woman he would marry while on his trip.
“I was sitting in a pizza shop. I left my phone in the pizza shop. So I went outside, and she comes outside with my phone. I tried to give her $5 and she wouldn’t take it. And then somehow we exchanged phone numbers and I really couldn’t understand what she was saying, but her son called me the next day after and he would translate a little bit. Then she wanted to come down and see what Kittanning was like. And then everything just started from there.”
Jerry said it was a chance meeting that began to grow into something as she visited Armstrong County.
“She came down and she stayed a month. Then she went back because her visa ran out and expired. And she said that she would come back in a few months. I really didn’t believe it. But I got a phone call and three months later, she said she would be here in a couple of days, ‘if you want me to come.’ I said, ‘okay!’ ”
A few months later, on December 1, 2010, Jerry and Kanya were married in a small ceremony at Family-Life Church in Kittanning. Since then, Kanya worked hard on her English skills and completed the paperwork for immigration and finally appeared before federal authorities in Pittsburgh on July 17, 2015 and received her official citizenship.
“It was my dream come true,” Kanya said, “to become a U.S. citizen.”
The couple reside on Roundtop Drive and operate a placement agency for individuals who have a need for an assisted living facility.
Kanya said that someday, she hopes her two sons can join her. But for now, she is “living the dream!”
Local News | David Croyle July 30, 2015
