Nearly 200 new citizens take oath at Fort Scott ceremony
FORT SCOTT, Kan. — A Southeast Kansas landmark is the backdrop for people from around the world becoming U.S. citizens.
Each year, the Ft. Scott National Historic Site is the setting for people from all over the world to take the oath of U.S. citizenship.
On this day, nearly two hundred people from more than fifty countries became U.S. citizens.
Superintendent Jill Jaworski has attended them at a number of national park sites, but it's her first at Ft. Scott.
She says it's a setting and moment no one in attendance will ever forget.
"To me, it's, it's so powerful, I mean we, the National Park Service, our sites are set aside by the American people for their significance and to be able to share that new citizens who, I have to say, most of them know more of our history than many of our own citizens at this point in time because of the test they have to take to become a citizen, I'm happy to be able to share that here," said Jill Jaworski, park superintendent.
"I mean I didn't realize it until I became a judge and actually looked at the naturalization exam and understood the process so I don't think people realize that it does require a lot of hard work and time, so it's, it's a significant event," said The Honorable Teresa James, U.S. magistrate judge, District of Kansas.
"I'm so excited, my husband and my son are both citizens and I'm glad to join them at that," said Mari Neya, native of Bolivia.
"I decided to go through this process because I would say America gave me an opportunity that I didn't have," said Sharon Sanil, native of Kenya.
Other national park facilities in the Four States such as Carver National Monument also host naturalization ceremonies every other year.