BBHHS ceremony welcomes 22 new U.S. citizens

Immigrants from 16 countries naturalized in front of students, family and friends

by Melissa Martin

Twenty-two individuals representing 16 countries took their final steps to becoming American citizens Sept. 9 as they pledged the Oath of Allegiance to the United States in front of a federal judge, family members, friends and several representatives of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School student body.

Known in immigration terms as a naturalization ceremony, the event serves as the last step on the path to U.S. citizenship. The Oath of Allegiance is a sworn declaration that every citizenship applicant must recite during a formal ceremony, like the one at the high school, in order to become a naturalized American citizen.

The oath ceremony is a tradition dating back to the 18th century. When taking the oath, the new citizen promises to:

• Support and defend the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States against its enemies.
• Give up allegiance to any other nation or sovereign, and renounce hereditary or noble titles, if any.
• Provide military or civilian service when called upon by the government to do so.

From start to finish, the naturalization process takes individuals over the age of 18 approximately 5½ months to complete. In addition to passing English and American civics tests, prospective citizens must submit an application and a $760 filing fee before they are able to trade in their green cards for an official Certificate of Naturalization.

This is the third time the school district has hosted the event in recent years, first in 2019 and again in 2025.

In addition to performing its civic duty for the Northeast Ohio community, BBHHS American government teacher Jonah Pichette said the district volunteers to be a host site because of the once-in-a-lifetime learning experience it provides students.

“It’s an opportunity that students never get in the classroom and one that teaches them so much more than they could ever get from a book,” Pichette said.

Students were able to watch as the soon-to-be citizens stood and raised their right hands, pledging to support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States, after which they were called across the stage, presented with a small American flag and their certificates from Suzana Koch, the federal bankruptcy judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, who presided over the ceremony.

Koch, herself, is the daughter of immigrant parents, as is BBHHS student Victoria Keller, who also addressed the audience. Keller said her story began years before her birth, in 1987, when her great-grandparents, grandparents, uncle and father sought asylum in the U.S. as part of a Catholic refugee program in Ukraine, which was under a communist Russian regime at the time.

“In 1991, they were all given the green light to come to the United States and start a new life,” she said. “Life was definitely not easy at first – finding work, learning English and assimilating to American norms. It all came with challenges, but they pushed forward.”

Growing up in an immigrant family, Keller said she was fortunate to learn other languages and cultures from an early age, but the experience also provided challenges of its own.

“Speech classes away from my classmates, my accent that kids made fun of and traditional food that stank up the lunchroom all have made me who I am today,” she said. “I am proud to be a first-generation American, and I am proud to hold my two other cultures high.”

Along her journey, she said, she’s proud to have mastered the true meaning of the term “melting pot.”

“We are all here together – one country but different backgrounds,” she said. “One American nationality but different ethnicities. We are all one nation. We are all American. Only in America, you will not be persecuted for what religion you can and cannot be. Only in America, can you have the freedom of speech and can choose to speak out against inhumanity. And only in America, the land of opportunity, you can become who you want to be.”

Keller told those earning their citizenship how proud she was of all they have accomplished since moving to the U.S.

“It will bring you the American dream we all strive for,” she said.

Photo caption: Individuals raise their right hands as they pledge the Oath of Allegiance. Photo by Melissa Martin.