Why former Sea Gal Rachel Kerr became an American citizen

After spending most of her life in the states, owning a business, and spending time as a Seahawks Seagal, Rachel Kerr finally became an American citizen this year.

“The kicker for me was this past election,” Kerr told KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don.

“I have so many opinions and you get into these debates with family,” she said. “My mom’s current husband is a Conservative and he’s a Trump supporter. I am also very opinionated and generally fall in the opposite direction. I wanted to be able to have a voice that counted.”

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While the controversial and contentious political atmosphere in America may have inspired her to finally pledge allegiance, she says it was a long time coming.

“In my heart I am an American, for sure,” she said. “My formative years, as a teenager, were here … my home is here. If I was raised in England, I would have been a totally different person … I don’t know if I would have flourished as much there as I have here in the states.”

Kerr was born in what was West Germany at the time. In 1979, she visited the United States with her mom. Her mom met a man on that trip, and America was home after that.

“I came across the pond kicking and screaming because I was eight … I had lot of resentment coming to America in the second grade,” Kerr said. “It was very difficult. Kids are mean and I talked very different. My mom insisted on dressing me for the first couple years of my elementary school here which included white, knee high socks and black patent leather Mary Janes. So I learned how to defend myself very quickly.”

She also learned to lose her English accent in about three weeks by watching sitcoms. Fast forward to today and Kerr had spent her life stateside — including 10 years as a Seagal. Today she owns a business in Lynnwood — Shimmer Skin Lash and Tan. But despite all her success, she still wanted a say in American politics, especially since Donald Trump became president.

“The first thing I got to do is register to vote,” Kerr siad. “The second thing I have to do is get an American passport, and the third thing I’m going to do is look into local politics.”