UPPER MERION >> America, the land of opportunity, became a reality Thursday for 48 candidates who became American citizens at a naturalization ceremony at the Valley Forge National Historical Park theater.
Dhaval Shah, 32, of Royersford, came to the U.S. in December 2007 from Ahmedabad, India, to attend college. He settled in Findlay, Ohio where he attended University of Findlay for an MBA. He earned a degree in dentistry at New York University College of Dentistry in 2012. Shah started his own dental practice in Limerick in 2013, he said. He married Srishti Kothari in 2014.
“I wanted to see what is going on around the world. The United States has all of the cultures of the world,” Shah said. “I like the equal opportunity and the freedom to follow your dreams.”
In December 2015, Shah joined the U.S. Army Reserve.
Kiran Phuyal of Philadelphia came to the United States in 2006 from Nepal by himself. His uncle, Ritu Raj Oli, had already settled in Arlington, Va., he said.
“I came here initially to attend Caldwell College. I transferred to Drexel University, where I got a mechanical engineering degree in 2011,” Phuyal said. “I wanted a new experience. I wanted to travel.”
Phuyal, 29, joined the U.S. Navy in November 2015 and he now serves in the U.S. Navy Reserve at Fort Dix, N.J.
“I have always wanted to serve in the military. Being a citizen opens up a lot of opportunities for me,” Phuyal said. “I can vote and I can travel around.” “I’m very proud to be a Seabee in the U.S. Navy where I am a construction mechanic,” Phuyal said. Pat Madden, the Valley Forge National Historical Park acting superintendent, said the park was “truly honored” to host the ceremony.
The naturalization ceremony was one of 100 ceremonies scheduled for national parks this year to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
“Valley Forge is a source of pride and inspiration to all Americans,” Madden said. “We are happy to introduce you to your national parks. The national parks all belong to you now. We encourage you to visit them and enjoy them.” Eight of the 48 candidates currently serve in or are veterans of the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy or U.S. Army Reserves. They got their citizenship through military naturalization.
During the ceremony the eight military personnel sitting in the front row were acknowledged with a round of applause. As the names of the 29 countries of origin were called by Kathleen Bausman, the acting field office director of USCIS, each of the 48 candidates stood up and were applauded by the audience.
Michael Borgen, the Philadelphia District Director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), administered the oath of allegiance to the 48 candidates for citizenship.
After they finished the oath, the new American citizens waved small American flags given to them before the ceremony.
“When I look into your eyes I see hope. Now it is the time to assume all the rights of citizenship,” Borgen said. “We all owe a great debt to the service persons in the U.S. Armed Forces.”
Borgen thanked the service personnel for their military service and congratulated all of the naturalized American citizens.
“You should all be proud of what you have accomplished. When you leave here today, remember the feeling you had after you finished the oath of allegiance,” Borgen said. “Congratulations, my fellow Americans.”
The certificates of naturalization were distributed to each newly naturalized American citizen at the end of the ceremony. The 48 citizenship candidates came from 29 countries including Albania, Barbadoes, Bhutan, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the People’s Republic of China, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.
View a photo gallery of the naturalization ceremony at media.timesherald.com.
Contact Carl Rotenberg at 267-907-6137 (c) and 484-679-8476.
