{"id":3720,"date":"2026-07-04T12:09:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T12:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3720"},"modified":"2026-07-04T12:09:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T12:09:19","slug":"aboard-alamedas-uss-hornet-76-immigrants-become-u-s-citizens-ahead-of-americas-250th-birthday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3720","title":{"rendered":"Aboard Alameda\u2019s USS Hornet, 76 immigrants become U.S. citizens ahead of America\u2019s 250th birthday"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>ALAMEDA \u2014 Gathered on a World War II ship turned museum in Alameda on Wednesday, people from dozens of countries took the oath of allegiance and became U.S. citizens ahead of the nation\u2019s 250th birthday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3718\">Key questions about a still-unfinished sale of the Oakland Coliseum<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A total of 76 citizenship candidates were welcomed aboard the USS Hornet, home to the Sea, Air and Space Museum, to participate in an annual Fourth of July naturalization ceremony that honors the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted \u2014 July 4, 1776.<\/p>\n<p>Holding small American flags, the cohort of new citizens waved and clapped along to patriotic music sung by the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra &amp; Chorus\u2019 TOSCA a capella ensemble.<\/p>\n<p>Family members and loved ones cheered as each of the 28 origin countries represented at the ceremony was named and candidates stood. They remained standing as they took the oath of allegiance, swearing to renounce fidelity to their countries of origin and commit themselves to upholding and defending the U.S. Constitution and laws of the land.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMuch like this ship, each of you has your own unique history, experience and strength, and we welcome you to bring these to our country,\u201d said Maureen Whalen Vavra, chair of the USS Hornet Museum Board of Trustees. \u201cWe are a nation of immigrants built by generations of people who, like you, chose to make America their home. Your decision to become an American citizen is a testament to your courage, your dreams and your belief in the promise of this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Phannarai Inkun, of Thailand, led the Pledge of Allegiance for her cohort of fellow citizenship candidates. The 19-year-old UC Berkeley student is studying to be a math teacher.<\/p>\n<p>Inkun said her process of gaining citizenship started years ago when her grandmother became a U.S. citizen and attempted to sponsor Inkun and the rest of her family. After delays, Inkun said she took the initiative to finish the process once she turned 18.<\/p>\n<p>She credits her passing of the citizenship test to her Mendocino High School civics teacher Pamela Duncan, who, Inkun said, gave similar tests as class finals.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cShe was a great foundation,\u201d Inkun said.<\/p>\n<p>Tekum Kingswill, 20, of Cameroon, said his road to citizenship began in June 2023 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, enticed by the promise of citizenship and academic support. Two years later, Kingswill is now studying civil engineering at UC Davis.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3717\">AT&amp;T wins early approval to end landline service for 184,000 California households<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m excited to finally become a naturalized citizen of the United States of America because it\u2019s a good country and I\u2019m ready to experience the full benefits of being a citizen of the country, to play my role as a good citizen, to better the country, like they were saying during the ceremony,\u201d Kingswill said.<\/p>\n<p>Love brought Sebastian Belz, 33, of Belgium, stateside. He met Alyssa, an American, while in Spain. They married in Lake Tahoe in 2017 and welcomed two daughters in the nine years since. He\u2019s had his permanent residency since 2019.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI kept choking up the whole time,\u201d Belz said of the ceremony. \u201cI was just thinking about the life that we\u2019ve built here, you know? And it was never planned, but it was the right next step. Living the dream.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Like Belz, Ericka Zoria, 37, of Mexico, has had her permanent residency for years, having married a man who held both U.S. and Mexican citizenship. She and her husband, Edwin Negrete, decided to officially settle their family in California about three to four years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Initially nervous about gaining full citizenship, Zoria said the year-long process was worth it to be able to live in the country \u201ccomfortably.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is something I never imagined I could get,\u201d Zoria said in Spanish through her husband, who translated. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Participants of Wednesday\u2019s ceremony are among the roughly 700,000 to 800,000 people who take the oath of allegiance every year, a third of whom come from Mexico, India, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHistory is a living, active force, and we write it every day. Likewise, citizenship is not merely a document. It\u2019s an opportunity to participate in the shaping of a country, to have a voice, to be counted,\u201d said USS Hornet Museum Executive Director Laura Fies. \u201cWith this new chapter, you and your future generations are joining us as Americans, with as equal a right to make history as myself or anyone else here today. You all demonstrated immense courage and tenacity in the work you\u2019ve done so far. Bring the best of your history and join us continuing to make this nation a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3715\">Dowd: Is fairness still an inherently American trait?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seventy-six immigrants from 28 countries became U.S. citizens during a Fourth of July naturalization ceremony aboard the USS Hornet in Alameda, as the country prepares to mark its 250th birthday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Aboard Alameda\u2019s USS Hornet, 76 immigrants become U.S. citizens ahead of America\u2019s 250th birthday - 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