22 December 2008

New Citizens Express Gratitude to and Pride in the United States

They came from many nations to enjoy expanded opportunities

New citizens take their oaths at the National Archives in Washington on December 16.

By Ralph Dannheisser
Special Correspondent

Washington — Newly installed U.S. citizens with roots scattered around the globe expressed common sentiments of pride and gratitude to America.gov shortly after taking their citizenship oath.

They were among 31 applicants from 23 nations randomly selected to be sworn in December 16 at a special ceremony in the rotunda of the National Archives, permanent home of America’s founding documents. (See “Immigrants from 23 Nations Become Citizens at National Archives.”)

Nabil Awad, a native of Mauritania who came to the United States 14 years ago to pursue his education, talked about his “great pleasure” in becoming a U.S. citizen.

“One of the great things that happened recently is the voting in the presidential election, and I thought I want to be part of that for the next election year,” said Awad, who works as an auditor.

Saba Tasneem, who arrived from India as a student in 1998, agreed. “I want to be a part of the government here. I want to vote and get all the freedoms,” she said. She also wants to bring over members of her family still in India, including her husband of two years.

Tasneem studied accounting at Washington’s Strayer University, and now works in that field. “I really feel very proud that I am a part of this country from today,” Tasneem said.

Andre Bogoslowsky, 40, was granted political asylum by the United States in 1988 after having left the Soviet Union to study art in Spain. “Once I picked up some English,” he recalled, “life was good, I was having shows, I had a green  [permanent resident] card, and I didn’t really care about becoming a citizen.”

But recently, he said, “I realized that I need to find myself. I need to commit myself to one country, one entity.” He now sees his newly acquired citizenship in a country that provided him with “liberties and freedoms” as “one of the most important things in my life.”

Khulud Khudur came to the United States from Sudan, with her parents and brother, when she was 8. Now an 18-year-old freshman at Pennsylvania State University, she is trying to decide between potential careers in law or medicine.

She said she decided to become a citizen when her secondary school civics teacher urged involvement in civic affairs, and she realized “becoming a citizen is a building block of doing so.” After the oath, she and the new citizen from Ethiopia standing next to her shared an excited hug. “I’m a proud citizen now,” Khudur said.

Dante Figueroa, who arrived about six years ago from Chile, offered two reasons for his decision to pursue U.S. citizenship: His wife is American, he said, and “the other reason is that I feel deeply attached to the very foundations of this country, the real qualities that make this country what it is.”

Holding the ceremony flanked by the nation’s founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights — overwhelmed him with feeling “because of the values and ideals that are imbedded in these fantastic documents,” he said.

As America.gov was interviewing Figueroa, a bystander broke in to ask him where he was from.

A broad smile lit up Figueroa’s face.

“The United States,” he told her.