The David Eccles School or Business had the incredible honor of hosting a naturalization ceremony, where 19 new Americans from 13 different countries took the Oath of Allegiance and exchanged their green cards for U.S. citizenship.
Officials from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration service were on hand to attend to the official functions, but many Eccles School faculty and staff were in attendance to show support. Associate dean Mark Parker served as master of ceremonies, and communications specialist Katie Drake led attendees in the national anthem. Rich Kaufusi of the Opportunity Scholars program was the main speaker and shared his experience of becoming a citizen just two years ago.
After receiving their certificates many of the new citizens took a moment to express their excitement and gratitude in an open-mic session. The Eccles School hopes to host more ceremonies in the future.
See a photo gallery from the ceremony in the Deseret News.