Thread: New citizens embrace new homeland

Saturday, June 28, 2008
New citizens embrace new homeland
Hundreds of Santa Ana and Santiago Canyon College citizenship students celebrate.
By MICHAEL MELLO
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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SANTA ANA – Like many immigrants, Mauricio Gómez came to the United States to make some money, then return to his hometown of Cuernavaca in Mexico.

But that changed, mainly with the birth of his son, Anthony, seven years ago. Gómez will return to Mexico now only to visit his family; he plans to stay in Orange County and will cement his residency by taking a citizenship oath July 11.

"I wanted to become part of the large wave of change, the future that awaits us as Latinos in this country. By becoming citizens, we now have the right to vote and can make our opinions valid." Gómez said. "It just fills me with pride to become part of it."

Gómez was one of 300 people to become naturalized citizens through classes offered by Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College. The schools recently received a $130,000 grant from the state to expand their naturalization outreach and services.

The students celebrated completing their classes with a ceremony at Santa Ana College on Saturday, many waving the Stars and Stripes and punching their fists in the air as they were recognized.

Gómez, a Newport Beach resident, couldn't help but grin at the culmination of nine months' worth of classes. The schooling opened his eyes. He quickly grew close to a handful of friends and is grateful to his teachers.

"I kept all my school notes and the book they gave me," he said. "I want to give it to someone else who wants to become a citizen."

Gloria Guijarro Ortega always wanted to be a teacher. But she's the eldest daughter in her family, and in her small town of Huescalapa, Jalisco, Mexico, that meant she had to abandon her education after primary school to stay home with the family.

So when she decided to become a U.S. citizen after living in California for more than 25 years, she dove into her citizenship classes with passion.

But for Guijarro, the significance goes beyond the pomp and circumstance of Saturday's ceremony. For her, it's about empowerment, personal growth and opportunities. Citizenship will make life easier for her and for her family, she said.

"I feel safer and I can vote and participate," Guijarro said, her eyes steely with conviction. "It's not just voting, it's knowing how to vote."

She reveled in her classes, she said, feasting on U.S. history and civics lessons.

"I have a great respect for this country," she said. "This is my homeland now."

Misako Coleman had a soft smile as she was recognized, characteristic of her quiet, pensive demeanor. She took the citizenship course after studying in English as a second language class and enjoyed it.

"The teacher was very nice. It's always exciting to learn something new. I didn't know much about U.S. history, but now I know," Coleman said. "We all learned together."

Coleman, 76, left Nagoya, Japan, in 1962 to be with her then-husband, an American. She has lived happily in the United States since then, but recently decided go further: citizenship.

One of the main reasons, she said, was the right to vote: "I'm looking forward to November."

Contact the writer: 714-704-3796 or mmello@ocregister.com


http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beco ... itizenship

Gloria Guijarro Ortega always wanted to be a teacher. But she's the eldest daughter in her family, and in her small town of Huescalapa, Jalisco, Mexico, that meant she had to abandon her education after primary school to stay home with the family.

So when she decided to become a U.S. citizen after living in California for more than 25 years, she dove into her citizenship classes with passion.

I'm sorry, I don't get it! This person has been in the United States for 25 years. What has been her status during that 25 year period? If illegal, how can she simply take class at a community college and become a citizen?

And if all that's legitimate, what took her so long to embrace this country?

"I feel safer and I can vote and participate," Guijarro said, her eyes steely with conviction. "It's not just voting, it's knowing how to vote."

This should be a truly Great Time for them , to become Citizens .
But Honestly I'm troubled by the above statement . As Latino's are a very narrow minded people . I believe they will vote "Latino" even if the person is a bum and scam artist . As the Hispanic Caucus has shown us already .