Local immigrant from Taiwan celebrates her U.S. citizenship

    Wenny Weiss, husband Dirk  and their two sons, David and Jacob, moved to Imperial from Taiwan in 2015.
    Dirk is the local United Methodist Church (UMC) minister, and their sons are currently students at Chase County Schools (CCS).
    Their story is not the usual minister, wife and family story.
    Wenny was born and raised in Taiwan.
    After immigrating to America, she became a naturalized citizen of the U.S. on April 24 this year after five years of trials and tribulations with high costs to achieve it.
    She is a busy woman, as any mother and pastor’s wife can be.
    She works mornings as the church secretary at UMC. She also teaches piano lessons and accompanies elementary school concerts.
    Wenny also volunteers to play piano for the Imperial Manor and the community center.
    She also loves cooking and baking. She mostly prepares international recipes to keep the family acquainted with the foods and culture of Taiwan.
    “Taiwan is a combination of many different international cuisines, and I want to continue providing that for my family here,” Wenny said.
    Crafting is a big part of her life, as well, she said. She makes greeting cards, folds origami and enjoys oil painting.
    She likes to walk, and every day she tries to meet her goal of at least 10,000 steps, she said.

    When she’s not busy with her husband, church and her  sons’ busy schedules at school, Wenny is a percussionist with the Sandhills Symphony Orchestra in North Platte.
    “I love being a part of that,” she said.
    Her sons also share her interest in music.
    David likes to dance, sing, play piano, guitar, ukulele and saxophone. He is also a member of the 9th St. Singers at CCS.
    Jacob sings, plays piano, guitar, ukulele, trumpet, cornet and French horn. He is a member of the junior high show choir.
    “Both our sons are bilingual. They speak fluent English and Mandarin, a Chinese dialect spoken in Taiwan,” Wenny said.
Keeping culture alive
    The Weisses love being in America, but they also want to keep Wenny’s native culture alive for the boys to identify with.

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