(source: Courtesy, James Monroe Števko )
Two years have passed since I first spoke about my hopes of becoming a Slovak citizen. The response was unbelievable. People were, and still are, reaching out to me from every corner; Americans asking for help or advice and Slovaks who are so fascinated with my journey and wishing me luck. My story has helped spread the word on new opportunities for many and ignited a whole new interest in Slovakia.
How did it all begin? Having only heard about my heritage in passing during childhood, it was my name and a childhood artifact that helped fuel further investigation into my family’s roots. My first order of business was learning where the name “Stevko” originated and then, how to pronounce it. Unsure of where or how it changed, I’m now the sole member of my family who has changed the pronunciation for the better.
Years down the road, a photo album from my childhood would resurface. I would peruse the heirloom photos and newspaper clippings as a child out of boredom. Finding it as an adult,everything looked unchanged. The grosgrain ribbon that held it together was bowed, the adhesive pages were just as yellow and all the same photos remained.
One thing was different, though. I never cared to notice an old, brown military document. With an increased appetite for genealogical hints, it caught my attention. As expected, “Czechoslovakia” was written as my great-grandfather’s birthplace. Above it, in very small print was written Rovňany; his village.
My great-grandfather, along with his parents and siblings emigrated to the US via Hamburg in 1914. First to the middle of nowhere in Iowa, not even the historically Slovak settlements, eventually moving the entire family to Chicago.
There, he found my great-grandmother, a first generation Slovak-American, whose parents came from the Turiec region, Mošovce and Belá-Dulice, emigrating at the turn of the century.
(source: Courtesy, James Monroe Števko )
No Slovak heritage or knowledge had been passed down, save for a chicken paprikáš recipe and some very old letters that eventually made it to my hands. At least not until I took my interest in Slovakia and then Citizenship by Descent. That’s when my great aunt, our last remaining first generation Stevko, started recounting her childhood. Stories about her father, their parties at Slovak organizations and going to Slovak school as a kid with my grandfather and even making “moonshine”. In her 90’s, she was still pulling Slovak words and names out of her head, including that of her father’s best friend, whose name I found as a witness on documents.
My first trip to Rovňany was back in 2014 on a roadtrip with my Slovak friend from Hermancovce and his brother, Filip and Richard Valenčín. I only had basic language skills at that point, so they translated for me. Many in town were eager to meet me and solve the mystery of my family. Our visit finished at a local’s house who was somewhat of an area historian. He wrote a text on the villages surrounding area in the Rudohorie mountains, which I have, and he emailed me letters of my own ancestors he had researched back to 1750. Being there, I couldn’t help but look around and wonder about my ancestors’ past and if I had a connection to the land.
As part of preparation for my application for CBD, I studied Slovak for two summers through the University of Pittsburgh. Already having a keen interest in foreign languages and travel and some basic knowledge of Czech, it was the perfect choice for cultural awareness. I was fortunate to receive scholarships from the Department of Slavic Languages, the Slovak-American Cultural Center, and even from Career Transitions for Dancers, as an actor and dancer.
I’ve now visited Slovakia several times, trying to discover something new every time. The High Tatras are a favorite of mine as are the castle sightings. Having spent four weeks of the Summer Language Institute in Bratislava, it feels like a return home when I visit. It would be a waste not to put it to use on the ground with so many weeks of Slovak studies under my belt. My second home-coming to Rovňany included meeting even more locals and heading out with domáca jablkovica and more books on the area. I also made a point to visit all my ancestral villages including Veľká Ves, Trebostovo and Belá-Dulice.
This entire process of applying for CBD and SLA has opened a whole new world for me in the US and New York City. NYC is the world capital of Show Business. An all-encompassing bubble. But right beneath my nose I’ve discovered a new, huge community of Slovaks in tri-state area through SlovakPro and the Slovak-American Cultural Center. They show so much interest and support in my bid for citizenship, my heritage discovery and even my career, many of them have attended my performances at the Metropolitan Opera. Even better is that I’ve discovered a whole new arts scene. These organizations alongside the Consul General curate numerous events in the city a the new Consulate building or even Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.
(source: Courtesy, James Monroe Števko )
Where does my application stand? Every day I refresh the Interior Ministry’s website waiting for my SLA number to show. Yes, I did the process in reverse, applying for SLA after I already applied for CBD. My great-grandfather left at a time that we refer to as the “grey area”. Many people in this similar situation have already been granted, so I remain hopeful. But I would be lying if I didn’t say this was a long tedious process.
When it comes to genealogical research, one piece of information can lead to another, so it’s important not to discount anything as useless. Information gathered from hearsay, letters, and any document should be investigated. Maybe a distant ancestor isn’t in your direct line but it might uncover another clue. I even found information based on misspellings.
As for the paperwork, I learned the hard way to send certified mail. The final paper to be acquired is the FBI background check because of its window of validity. When sent out for apostille, which I had successfully done with all my documents up to this point, it never returned, resulting in me having to pay for a new background check. The consular appointment must also be booked before beginning the background check so you can assure your document will still be accepted. All my documents were translated in Bratislava by Linda Mouradová.
While I wait for a decision on my SLA application in order to hopefully revive my CBD application, which I applied for in November of 2023, I am constantly asked “Are you a citizen yet?” Right now, all I can do is say no, but I hope that after this multi-year process I have something to speak for.
