42 immigrants become U.S. citizens at naturalization ceremony at SCC

Published: 10/31/2014

In a naturalization ceremony, immigrants take the Oath of Allegiance to complete the process of becoming a U.S. citizen.

The idea to host the ceremony originated when Virginia Guneyli, SCC associate professor of English, mentioned to a colleague that her husband, who is from Turkey, was about to be naturalized and wished it could happen on SCC’s campus.

Ron Pettus, associate professor of political science at SCC, presented the idea of hosting a naturalization ceremony to his State and Local Government class. Just like that, the project was underway.

“We listed all of the things needed from pricing and ordering sheet cake and punch to decorating the auditorium, to arranging color guard and coordinating with campus police,” Pettus said. “The class handled almost every element of the program, and everyone in the class was involved.”

“This was service learning at its best,” said Ron Chesbrough, Ph.D., SCC president. “Students tasked with organizing this event practiced management and leadership skills. They learned the intimate details of this rite of passage to citizenship, and they exposed those in attendance to an event that they might otherwise never have attended and people they might not otherwise have met.”

Due to the success of the celebration, SCC plans to host an annual naturalization ceremony on the last day of the week-long Democracy Days event held around Constitution Day each September. “It was a demonstration of the college’s commitment to the community,” said Pettus.

St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit stchas.edu.