With tears in their eyes, 201 new U.S. citizens sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the student center building at UNT Dallas this month.
Person after person from one of more than 50 countries stood while the crowd clapped and cheered. More than 200 men and women took an oath of allegiance during a citizenship ceremony on Thursday afternoon at the student center building at UNT Dallas.
For some, the journey to U.S. citizenship has taken decades. Others started the process only months ago.
But the naturalization ceremony did more than transform their legal status, according to attendees. It ushered in a profound sense of security and belonging for them and their families.
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“It was long for me since I became a permanent resident in 2017,″ said Marcel Stady, from Canada. “Just even having the ability to vote now and just feel more welcome now.”
Representatives from the consulates of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Canada, and Peru, along with various community leaders were in attendance to witness and support the naturalization ceremony.
“This is the biggest ceremony of naturalization that we have held in the university,” said Mara Queiroz Vaughn, a Spanish lecturer at UNT Dallas, who was appointed as one of eight citizenship ambassadors nationwide in 2022.
For some, the journey to U.S. citizenship was fraught with challenges.
Maria Idalia Martinez, from Guanajuato, Mexico, decided to gain her citizenship after spending 20 years as a permanent resident. She said she felt nervous at first but learned to prepare herself for the road ahead.
“I did it for my children and my grandchildren,” she said. “They have their roots here and they are not going back to Mexico. This is their country, and now this is my country, too.”
For Angelica Gonzales, from Mexico, the path to becoming a citizen was hard, battling stereotypes that people like her aren’t educated.
“Racism still exists to this day,” she said. “I think it is a privilege and honor to my family to have me as a citizen now because my parents are really humble.”
In 2017, Queiroz Vaughn and other community members created “Spanish in the Community,” a non-credit class at UNT Dallas, which helps people prepare for the citizenship process.
“We are launching for the first time that the program will become hybrid for those who can’t attend in person because of a job,” Vaughn said. “People can start with the non-credit class as soon as they are eligible for citizenship.”
Organizations such as The National Educational Service Centers, and Proyecto Inmigrante, among others, collaborate with Vaughn to make the classes free for residents.
UNT Dallas offers classes as part of the program to obtain a GED and learn English for professionals.
“For these classes, all that is needed is an identification card and a phone number,” said Vaughn.
