'I'm starting my second life': Rockford welcomes hundreds of new US citizens
ROCKFORD — Just months away from observing her 100th birthday, Melida Giraldo has another more immediate milestone to celebrate.
The Rockford resident and native of Colombia is now a United States citizen.
“It’s a blessing from God, and I am very happy,” Giraldo said in Spanish. “I give thanks to everyone. I’m a citizen now, and I’m excited.”
Giraldo spent most of her life in Colombia before relocating to Rockford in 2010 to live with her daughter, Gloria.
She was one of 304 people who took part in a naturalization ceremony to become new U.S. citizens on Wednesday at the Coronado Performing Arts Center.
Imran Saeed also took part in the ceremony. Saeed is a native of Pakistan who moved to Chicago in 2018 before relocating with his wife and two children to McHenry County where he purchased a home.
“It was my first dream to buy a house within two years of living in America,” Saeed, 37, said. “If you work hard, you can achieve all of your goals.”
Anna Tsigler also became a U.S. citizen on Wednesday. Tsigler, 32, left her native Ukraine for Israel in 2014 where she met her husband, Steven. The couple and their two children have since settled in Loves Park.
“I’m starting my second life, and I’m safe and happy,” Tsigler said. “I do love my native country, but it’s an amazing life here, and I appreciate the opportunities for the people.”
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Moses Auguste of Rockford came to the U.S. as a child from his native Haiti.
“Growing up in Haiti has never been easy,” Auguste said. “Haiti is not the safest place to be sometimes. It was not the best place for me to achieve the dream I wanted, so the United States was the best option.”
Wednesday’s event was the largest naturalization ceremony in the history of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Western Division, which encompasses 10 counties including Winnebago, Boone and Stephenson.
The ceremony featured the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner and a recitation of the U.S. Oath of Allegiance — the final step in becoming a U.S. citizen.
“Many of us Americans got our status the easy way by simply being born here, but you people have worked hard,” U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer said while addressing the new citizens. “You’ve made a choice and it’s a choice that may not have been easy. One of our Presidents said, ‘The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire.’ That’s you.”
Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Contact him at 815-987-1391, kdecoster@rrstar.com or @DeCosterKen.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Naturalization ceremony welcomes more than 300 new US citizens
