Over 300 immigrants, including two Stuyvesant students, became United States citizens at a ceremony in Stuyvesant’s Murray Khan Theater on Wednesday, February 27.
The ceremony took place during fourth and fifth periods. It was the first naturalization ceremony held at Stuyvesant. Counselor to the Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and Stuyvesant alumna (’93) Natalie Lui Duncan, suggested that the ceremony be held at Stuyvesant.
“Ceremonies are usually held in a normal district office, in a plain office with a flag,” Lui Duncan said. “About 90 percent of ceremonies don’t have [this] kind of fanfare.” There are about 250 district offices throughout the United States.
“[Immigration services] have these immigration ceremonies all over the country and [Lui Duncan] asked if we could have one here,” Assistant Principal of Social Studies Jennifer Suri said. “It’s really exciting for this to happen at Stuyvesant. I’ve never seen it myself. […] It’s a great opportunity for students to witness this.”
Two Stuyvesant students, senior Minglian Pan and sophomore Yimei Hu, were naturalized at the ceremony. Pan and Hu both emigrated from China. They had already filed their paperwork and only needed the oath to become citizens.
“It’s definitely exciting,” said Pan, who immigrated to the United States in 1997. “This is an opportunity not many people have.”
Chemistry teacher Dalia Bulgaris and history teacher Reuben Stern were honored during the event. They were honored for being naturalized immigrants who had “provided service to the nation” through education, said Principal Stanley Teitel.
Before the event, the immigrants and their families were admitted into the building through the first floor entrance. Additional security guards were present during the event to prevent students from entering the first floor lobby as the soon-to-be citizens entered the theater.
Each person was allowed to bring one guest. According to Lui Duncan, the ceremony was fairly large, compared to a normal ceremony. “We [had] 900 seats-our plan [was] to fill every single one,” Lui Duncan said.
A message was posted on the Stuyvesant website, encouraging members of the Stuyvesant community to participate in the event, and the remaining 300 seats were reserved for students. Junior and senior history classes that came to the ceremony were seated on the balcony to watch the event.
“I saw it as a way for students, especially our US government classes, to see firsthand how our government works,” Teitel said.
“It’s a great opportunity for everyone in the community to participate in this event, [which is] an important part of American citizenship,” Suri said.
However, due to limited seating, students with lunch or free periods during the ceremony were not admitted to the event.
The Stuyvesant concert and chamber choruses, conducted by Assistant Principal of Music and Fine Arts Raymond Wheeler and music teacher Holly Hall, opened the event with the national anthem. The chorus later sang “This Is My Country” and “Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor.”
The reaction to the chorus was very positive. “Hall said that people [...] were in shock, and that we were better than professionals,” freshman Andrew Kim said.
“I noticed that when the chorus sang, most of the eyes in the house were wet,” Teitel said. “Most of our students were born here so they have no idea of how long the citizenship process takes […They] don’t understand why many people would strive to become [citizens].”
Chorus students who performed at the ceremony enjoyed the opportunity. “It’s cool that we get to be in the center of things like this. It was an honor,” junior and Chorus member Hayeon Na said.
“It did feel good because we got to do something for people becoming citizens,” Kim said.
The Oath of Allegiance was administered by Dr. Emilio González, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Hu and Pan then led the crowd in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
US Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao was presented with the Outstanding American by Choice Award during the event. The award, created by González in 2006, is awarded throughout the year to naturalized Americans who have demonstrated commitment to the country.
“Congratulations, you are now an American citizen,” Chao said to the crowd after he presented the award. “Most of you have worked all your life, daring to dream that someday, you would be a citizen of this wonderful country. […] You are all Americans by choice.”
“It was a wonderful ceremony,” Lui Duncan said. “Because Stuyvesant means a lot to me, I wanted to make it happen.”
“Stuy, for more than 100 years, has been a way for new immigrants to acquire skills they need to be successful,” said Parent Coordinator Harvey Blumm, who helped Suri organize the event. “For this school to be a site for the induction of new immigrants, it’s like the closing of a cycle.”