Yen Della Rovere officially became an American citizen on Oct. 12, 2022 in a ceremony in Newark, but in some ways she had been feeling like an American since she was a young child growing up in Vietnam.

“My father worked for the United States during the (Vietnam) war,” said Della Rovere, whose dad was a helicopter mechanic. “When I was a little kid he would always be talking to me about how good America was. He had to keep it quiet so that he didn’t get in trouble with the government. You weren’t allowed to talk about that in public. My mother didn’t even know he was talking to me about America.”

Della Rovere recalled her childhood recently while taking a break from her studies at Warren Community College. Della Rovere is In her first year as a part-time student and currently majoring in business administration but is considering a change to Computer Science. 

How did she end up in Warren County? 

Through mutual friends she virtually met the man who would become her husband, Michael, a real estate broker, while at the same time she was working for an American company in Vietnam. The two got along great and even better when they finally met in person in 2014. Two years later they were married and settled in at Panther Valley in Allamuchy Township. A year later they had a son, whose formal name is Minh, but is called Michael. Things were going real well when tragedy struck in January of 2019 when her husband died after a short illness. Thankfully she had people here who cared about her.

“I really love American people, especially my father-in-law Julius, who turns 80 years old next April,” said Della Rovere, now 36. “He is the person who saved me and my son a lot after my husband passed away. At that time, I was going to go back to Vietnam because I don’t have my family in the U.S. I am thankful for Julius and appreciate him for what he did for my son and me.”

With Julius’ encouragement Rovere was determined to stay, no longer in Panther Valley, but still in Warren County.

“I love my neighbors; they love kids, they always love my son and think of him,” she said of Michael, who turned 4 on Nov. 29. “I am so glad I met a lot good people in this country.”

And she says, there are opportunities. During tax season she works for H&R Block, which has recognized her as a Top 3 Tech Associate three times. She has had other jobs, as well, and is a Notary Public. Right now she is working from home when not attending classes. 

“Some coworkers have become my friends,” Della Rovere said. “They have helped me out a lot when I really need them. They are always there for me and my son. Although I do not see them often, they are always there for me. I am appreciative of that. They welcomed me and helped me a lot while I worked there.  All of them are happy to know that I am a citizen now. That was a big accomplishment for me.”

Attending classes for the first time in years has admittedly been a challenge for Rovere, but she has met it head on.

“Yen worked extremely hard in her first semester at Warren build her skills in college reading and writing,” lauded Kerry Frabizio, Associate Professor of English at WCC. “English is not her first language, but she is diligent in preparing for class and completing her assignments, even when they require hours of additional work as she often needs to translate the readings. She is grateful for every opportunity that will help her to succeed, and she has taken advantage of tutoring in the Instructional Support Center throughout the semester. I am so proud of what she has accomplished, and I look forward to following her progress as she seeks her degree.”

“It is really exciting for me to become a student at WCC because I know I have to start my new career from there, where I can gain a lot of knowledge,” Della Rovere said. “Everyone in the college helps me when I need it. My professors always explain to me what knowledge I do not understand. People in the library, the Student Services department and even Financial Aid department have helped me with any questions. I love this school. I see the opportunity is there for everyone who wants to gain more knowledge. They just need to spend time to get it. When I was a child, I always wished I could study overseas. I had never wished I could go to the U.S. to study or even stay because it was over my dream. Now my dream comes true and I also am an American citizen!”

Frabrizio added, “Yen is so proud to have earned her U.S. citizenship. She is very modest about her achievements and only told me that she was going to take her citizenship test because she wanted to explain why she would need to miss our class. When she returned to class the next day, I asked if I could tell the class what she had just accomplished, and the entire class applauded her.”

Della Rovere, loves Warren County, and her new country.

“I also love the weather; it changes every season which I have never seen that before,” she said. “I love the wildlife around here in Warren County, I feel like I live in a very great place. I see that American citizens really love this country and have respect for our heroes. I do not think any other countries in the world would do as much as American citizens. I love America through this kind of story. America welcomed me to stay here and helps me to have a chance to build my and my son’s life again, especially after many overwhelming events I have had to face. Americans have big hearts. I am so proud to be a part of our country.”

It’s a lot different than Vietnam, that’s for sure.

“Young people should spend a month in Vietnam, even today, and they would really appreciate what they have here,” Della Rovere said.