JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Forty new citizens were sworn in Tuesday morning in a ceremony at First Coast High School.
Seven hundred students from the school attended and some played important roles in the ceremony.
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Chief Judge Timothy Corrigan said, “It’s always a joyous event, but we get to bring it to high schools and do it in front of hundreds of high school students who provide energy and enthusiasm, but also it’s a great civics lesson for them. They get to see what it means to be an American citizen.”
This naturalization ceremony is one of many being held at schools in Duval County.
The 40 citizenship candidates participating in the ceremony Tuesday range in age from 20 to 65 and originate from the following 24 countries: Bahamas, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, France, Haiti, Hungary, Iraq, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Miriam Perry was one of the 40 sworn in. “I’ve been here basically my whole life, I really don’t remember my home country of Mexico. I’m 26.” Perry also said she is looking forward to voting, living her life with her young son and husband and not having to worry about doing any more paperwork.