Haijun Wu has lived in the U.S. for nearly two decades, ever since he departed China to attend Penn State University in pursuit of a doctoral degree in food engineering.
He’s been a Berks County resident for the last 13 years. He has a home here, he has raised his two daughter here, and he has a good job here as a food safety consultant.
In many ways, he’s felt like an American for a long time. On Wednesday, he made it official.
The Wyomissing man made his affection for his adopted home official when he and 27 others took the oath of citizenship at a naturalization ceremony Wednesday in the Berks County Courthouse. While the new citizens may have started their journeys in 10 different countries, they all share a desire to make the United States their official home.
Wu and the other new citizens recited the Pledge of Allegiance together, many emphatically placing their hands over their hearts and smiling wide as they stood facing the Stars and Stripes. Each was called to the front of the courtroom to receive an official certificate, a small American flag, voter registration information and other items to commemorate the occasion from local civic organizations and governmental offices.
On the way back to his seat after his turn, Aldo Garcia waved his flag and flashed a wide smile as his wife documented the moment by snapping some photos.
“This means so much to me that it is hard to explain,” the 45-year-old said following the ceremony. “This is a big change for my life, for my family, for everything. This is a new chapter.”
Garcia moved from Mexico to the U.S. in 2005 seeking a better life and more economic opportunities. He said now that he has found those things he wanted to take the next step in becoming a full member of a community that he cares about so much.
His wife Delilah Galan said she was excited to watch Garcia reach this milestone.
“I’m very proud that he was able to achieve one of his biggest life goals,” she said.
Reading Auditor Maria Rodriguez, who served as keynote speaker for the ceremony organized by the citizenship committee of the Berks County Bar Association, said she was proud to be there as well. And, she told the crowd, she knows from experience what the day meant to many of them.
She shared the story of how she made the journey from the Dominican Republic to New York in 1989 to continue her education. She would go on to earn an economics degree from Hunter College while assisting the college in implementing bilingual educational programs at public schools.
In 1998, Rodriguez moved to Reading and a few years later began working for the city as its auditing coordinator and then in other positions within the finance office. While working for the city, she also served as a tutor in economics for undergraduate students at Albright College.
In addition to her roles in city government over the last two decades, she worked in the Berks County controller’s office for a few years and served as the finance manager for several nonprofit organizations in the community.
And then in 2019 she became the first Latina city auditor — making her one of just a few Latinas to win a citywide election in the commonwealth.
Rodriguez stressed to those at the ceremony that she faced many of the same barriers they had to overcome in order to attain citizenship. She encouraged them to now refocus their sights on how they can make a positive impact on the communities where they live.
“When I came to this country I didn’t even speak English,” she said. “I was given a lot of opportunities by the communities that I lived in and wanted to give back. Now, you have the power to give back. With the power of citizenship you now have the right to vote to make your voices heard.”
Source: Berkshire mont
Be First to Comment