She has been fighting for her country for eight years — and now, at last, she’s a US citizen.
“I came here to serve,” said Danae Mohalland, 26, an Army specialist. “There are a lot of opportunities here.”
Mohalland was one of 156 immigrants from 46 countries who celebrated Independence Day early by becoming American citizens Wednesday during a naturalization ceremony at the New York Public Library.
Mohalland came to the US from Jamaica in 2001, and decided five years later to make America her home.
“I’m excited to know that I’m now a part of a country that I’ve been fighting for for eight years.”
Grisleysi Suriel, 20, is studying forensics at John Jay College — an opportunity she says would not have been available in her home country of the Dominican Republic.
“I left behind my father and my friends,” Suriel said, adding that, in return, she got everything:
“Opportunity, new experiences, freedom. I’m a totally new person.”