‘It's a big day': 27 people become U.S. citizens at ceremony in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Twenty-seven people from 20 countries became American citizens at a ceremony in Charlotte on Thursday.

Dorota Wood is from Poland and has lived here for 10 years.

She’s felt like an American for a long time, but now, it’s real. Wood wiped away tears as she spoke with us.

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“It's a big day,” she said.

This would be a celebration to share with her husband and two children, and with the other 26 people who shared the dream with her.

‘It’s a big day’: 27 people become U.S. citizens at ceremony in Charlotte ‘It’s a big day’: 27 people become U.S. citizens at ceremony in Charlotte

(New citizens tell their story)

They're becoming citizens of a country torn by the debate over immigration, and with their allegiance, the keynote speaker challenged them to rise above it.

“Let the newest Americans do better,” Dr. Brian Madison Jones, with Johnson C. Smith University, said. “And let you support and encourage those who come next in a comforting circle of patriotism and benevolence.”

Wood said she is glad to be an American, finally, and to share a new country and all that comes with it.

“Perhaps I'm the lucky one who had an easier path through marriage and having children here,” Wood said.

“Worth it?” Channel 9’s Mark Becker asked.

“Very much worth it, yes!” Wood said.

Cox Media Group