Hello, my name is Ode Mbilizi and in June 2022 I fulfilled my dream of becoming a U.S. citizen! In 2015, my wife Tawusi Turinabitu, our 7 children, and I came to Vermont from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before arriving in the U.S., I was a refugee in one of the Congolese refugee camps in Burundi. Life was very hard and depressing there. We were deprived of many rights that many other citizens have in their own countries.

This generous country has offered me a chance to become a citizen and to have many rights that I was deprived of in my home country. I am looking forward to having a say about who I want my leader(s) to be, and to exercise other citizen’s duties and to enjoy my rights.
I am currently working as a team leader at Colchester High School and my dream is to continue my profession of plumbing and to start my own business. Thank you USCRI Vermont for helping my family resettle and thrive here in Vermont!