UNC Global to Host Fifth Annual Naturalization Ceremony for New US Citizens
April 2, 2019
UNC Global Affairs
UNC Global, in conjunction with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will host a naturalization ceremony recognizing 59 of North Carolina’s new candidates for U.S. citizenship on April 12, 2019. The candidates come from 28 countries, including India, Ethiopia, Canada, Vietnam and Mexico. The ceremony will take place at 11:00 a.m. in the Nelson Mandela auditorium at the FedEx Global Education Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Raymond Farrow, UNC-Chapel Hill’s associate provost for global affairs and interim chief global officer, will provide introductory and keynote remarks.
“It is a special honor to host our fifth naturalization ceremony at Carolina,” says Farrow. “We take great pride in the immigrants and their families that have been such a vital part of this University’s history—and its future. I look forward to sharing this special experience with the candidates, their families and the Carolina community.”
Farrow’s remarks will be followed by a performance of the national anthem by Cadence, one of Carolina’s all-female a cappella groups. The UNC-Chapel Hill ROTC Color Guard will present the colors.
Additionally, Didem Havlioğlu, teaching associate professor of Turkish in the Department of Asian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill and recently naturalized U.S. citizen, will reflect on her path to citizenship.
Elizabeth Kenny, immigration services officer from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Raleigh–Durham Field Office, will administer the oath of allegiance and present the candidates their certificates of naturalization. Katie Bowler Young, director of global relations at UNC-Chapel Hill, and Raymond Farrow will assist Kenny. A small reception in the Florence and James Peacock Atrium of the FedEx Global Education Center will follow the ceremony.
This event is free and open to the public to observe. Public parking is not available at the FedEx Global Education Center. Visit UNC Transportation and Parking’s website for information on visitor parking.
UNC Global invites members of the Carolina community to join the candidates, their families and friends in celebrating their newly obtained United States citizenship.
Please note: Candidates have been pre-selected for this ceremony and have already been notified that their ceremony will take place at UNC-Chapel Hill. If you have questions about your naturalization status, please contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) directly.
Event contact: Ingrid Smith, manager of global events and exhibitions, ingrid.smith@unc.edu.
Media contact: Katie Bowler Young, director of global relations, UNC Global, kby@unc.edu, 919.962.4504.