|
|
|Naturalization Ceremony
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Texas Hall
Thank you, your honor. And welcome, my fellow Americans! This is a special day for all of you, and also for our country. Because today you gain your citizenship, and America gains new sons and daughters who are eager, who are determined, and who have worked hard to earn the rights and privileges that too many natural-born citizens take for granted. Not enough Americans vote. Not enough Americans serve their country. Too many Americans see the world narrowly and without context. I wonder how many Americans could pass the citizenship test … that you all have just passed.
I’ve seen, however, that attitudes are changing in our country. The future is bright for America, and it is hopeful. This election year, we’ve witnessed historic turnout among voters in the presidential primaries—including Texas—especially among young voters. More than ever, young people regard service as a fundamental part of their character. A record number of Americans now have passports, and international affairs matter more than ever in this country.
And so I urge you, as our newest Americans, to continue that trend. Always remember what today means to you. I know you will remember the effort that it took you to get here. Our country is a great but imperfect nation, and you can help make it better and stronger. Be an example to your fellow citizens.
One of your first opportunities to do that is in the election this November. It will be an historic election for our nation, no matter which candidate wins. You can help determine who that will be, because for the first time, you can vote. Vote your conscience. Vote based on your personal beliefs. But please vote. It’s perhaps the easiest—and yet a powerful way—that you can participate in and make a difference for your new country.
I also ask you to engage in public service. Help your neighbors. Give what you can afford to give. Some of you can’t give much, but all of you can give something. Help a friend, or even a stranger, just because they need it. Volunteer to a cause that’s important to you. Give to those who are without. I remind you that the best exercise of the human heart—in America and around the world—is reaching down and picking someone else up.
Finally, I want to say this: Take advantage of every opportunity to become better educated. And use your education for the public good. Learn as much as you can about as much as you can, and never stop learning. The doors of UT Arlington are always open to you.
Our nation asks its best and brightest citizens to be its leaders. There is always room for women and men like you, who have the talent to contribute and the resolve to make a difference in our nation and in our world. My grandparents learned this lesson in 1901—more than 100 years ago—when they boarded a ship in Italy on steerage class, and landed at Ellis Island in New York. Eventually they became U.S. citizens, like all of you, and contributed to their adopted country. In this country built by immigrants and forged by determination, it doesn’t matter where you were born, but what you do with your life. Today—and always—you are Americans.
Congratulations to all of you, and welcome home.
