INA, Ill. (June 28, 2013) - “God bless America.â€
These three words resounded in the Rend Lake College Theatre Friday morning when the Honorable Kenneth J. Meyers led 57 candidates from 29 countries in the oath to become naturalized citizens of the U.S. Following Benton resident Sara Barnett’s performance of the Star Spangled Banner, Assistant U.S. Attorney George Norwood presented the candidates for naturalization and Meyers administered the oath.
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms
on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion: So help me God.â€
Judge Kenneth J. Meyers addresses the candidates for naturalization at the ceremony Friday at Rend Lake College. There were 57 candidates from 29 countries who became U.S. citizens. (Photo by Nathan Wheeler / RLC Public Information)
Adeleke Babafemi Adewole became a U.S. citizen alongside his wife, Adenike Comfort Adewole. They live in Belleville. He is a nurse. He was asked about renouncing his allegiance to Nigeria to become a U.S. citizen.
“I used to tell people I was supposed to be born in America. That I was mistakenly born in Nigeria. This is my home and I’m glad to be here today. ...This is like a dream come true. I really thank the good people of the United States of America for this golden opportunity. ... I’m finally an American citizen.â€
“I’m so happy today,†Adenike said. “... I give glory to the almighty God for making this possible. ... I pray that God will continue to bless America.â€
The Honorable Kenneth J. Meyers shakes the hand of one of America's newest citizens, Gretchen Jara Seck of Murphysboro. (Photo by Nathan Wheeler / RLC Public Information)
Meyers spoke about his granddaughter, who became a naturalized citizen after his family brought her to the U.S. from South Korea when she was an infant. She now lives in Kentucky.
“It’s emotional for me to listen to these people and how happy they are to be citizens of this country,†Meyers said. “They worked hard for what we take for granted. It’s taken them years.â€
He said he hopes they will contribute their talents to this country and make it a better place to live.
Find more photos from this event HERE.
Watch a video segment from the ceremony on RLC's YouTube Channel.
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Rend Lake College is located on the scenic eastern shore of beautiful Rend Lake in Southern Illinois. The college offers a wide variety of degree programs and occupational certificates in more than 100 programs of study, as well as customized training programs for business and industry, and lifelong learning opportunities for community members. Rend Lake College students enjoy the small class sizes and personalized instruction from a college small enough to get to know them on a personal basis, and large enough to meet their educational needs. It ranked in the top 10 percent of peer community colleges in the nation in 2011 and 2012, according to the Washington D.C.-based non-profit The Aspen Institute. Recent figures show RLC students reach their educational goals at twice the average rate of students attending two-year public colleges in Illinois. Rend Lake College’s graduation rate is among the leaders in the state. To find out more about RLC, call the college at 618-437-5321, or go online to www.rlc.edu.
