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Greenwood Village City Hall Thursday, May 26, Nancy Jackson (District Mission Viejo Library, Aurora
26 new U.S. citizens hailing from dozens of countries welcomed
BY ROBERT TANN RTANN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, during a May 9 ceremony at Belleview Elementary School in Centennial, granted citizenship to 26 immigrants hailing from 20 countries.
Residents currently live in a slew of communities in the Denver metro area and beyond including Aurora, Centennial, Commerce City, Elizabeth, Golden, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood, Parker and Sedalia.
“It was probably the happiest moment of my life,” said Fadilayda Solakkaya, who immigrated from Turkey and now lives in Parker, and is excited to have a passport, vote in elections and help her community.
Goran Vejvoda, originally from Yugoslavia, has lived in several countries and said being a U.S. citizen “is a privilege.”
“How many places are there in the world where you can speak freely and vote freely and think freely,” Vejvoda said.
New citizens, were joined by friends and family members as well as about 200 3rd, 4th and 5th-grade students. Also in attendance were county and regional leaders who shared their experiences of being an immigrant.
Being a citizen comes with liberties and responsibilities, said Kaiser, one of the most important being voting.
“Make sure you vote in every single election and make sure your voice is getting heard,” Kaiser said.
District Court judge Don J. Toussaint, whose parents immigrated from Haiti to New York and then to New Jersey, where Toussaint was born, spoke of his late father’s own immigrant journey and how it reverberates with him today.
Toussaint said after his father’s death in 2020, he found a “treasure trove” of items from his life, among them his citizenship certifi cate from 1978.
“From the letters I read, from the letters that he wrote to his brother and sister in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), how much he adored this country and how he wanted to give back to this country,” Toussaint said, adding that his father was active in helping other Haitian immigrants and victims of the AIDs pandemic that began in the 1980s.
Toussaint’s father fl ed a brutal dictatorship in Haiti, Toussaint said, and while he believes his father “didn’t want to leave” he knew he had no choice.
Attendees also heard from the school’s 4th-grade choir, who performed as a proud and triumphant chorus with words about the beauty of the U.S.’s immigrant heritage.
Before taking the Oath of Allegiance and being presented with their certifi cates, soon-to-be citizens heard a pre-recorded video message from President Joe Biden who celebrated the depth and diversity of the U.S.’s immigrant community.
Twenty-six immigrants hailing from 20 countries were o cially made U.S. citizens in a ceremony held on May 9.
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in the battle against COVID-19, collecting daily samples of sewage that serve as an indicator of how prevalent the virus may be in a given community.
The City of Englewood, as part of its share of the plant’s funding, secured the multi-million dollar loan through the federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
“It’s what we need to keep the South Platte River clean and sustain the water supply into the future,” said Sarah Stone, Englewood’s deputy director for business solutions.
The money will allow the plant to replace outdated electrical and control systems to address aging infrastructure. Upgrades will see improvements to chemical and ultraviolet water treatment.
Some of the funds will also be used to establish a wastewater pilot and research center to test new technologies and treatment equipment to help bolster the system’s resilience to climate change and extreme weather events.
The investments are expected to create 282 new jobs, according to a press release from the Environmental Protection Agency. The announcement generated praise from local and national Colorado leaders.
EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker, in a statement, said the agency’s loans are “helping western communities make infrastructure investments that will protect critical water resources in the face of increasing climate challenges.”
According to a statement from Englewood Mayor Othoniel Sierra, South Platte Renew is the fi rst in the state to use the federal loan, which was established in 2014, for infrastructure investment.
collecting daily samples of sewage that serve as an indicator of how prevalent the virus may be in a given community. secured the multi-million dollar loan through the federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. sustain the water supply into the future,” said Sarah Stone, Englewood’s deputy director for business solutions. control systems to address aging infrastructure. Upgrades will see improvements to chemical and ultraviolet water treatment. lot and research center to test new technologies and treatment equipment to help bolster the system’s Sierra said.
The loan allows the city to make a 51% match, meaning it will now have more than $40 million for future projects.
According to Stone, this money will be spent over the next fi ve to seven years, with the ability for the city to delay payments back to the federal government until 2031. Those payments will be made in increments over the next 30 years, Stone said.
South Platte Renew is the third largest wastewater plant in Colorado and processes about 20 million gallons of wastewater a day.
PHOTO BY ROBERT TANN
to the Ben Franklin Academy Class of 2022!
We’re very proud of this energetic, passionate, enthusiastic, fun-loving group of graduates. Quite a few of these students have been at BFA since preschool, and they’ve happily welcomed lots of wonderful new students throughout the years. During their time at BFA, these students explored new interests, began life-long friendships and grew into responsible, intelligent young adults.
Graduates - We can’t wait to see how well you do in high school and beyond! We wish you the very best!
Introducing our exceptional eighth grade graduates:
Dayton Ahlstrom Megan Balson Kaydence Barrick Brendon Benitez James Bradac Ryan Bradac Riley Brook Chris Buechel Lauren Byers Rocco Cali Ella Chapman Camden Cicero Deagan Clendening Ethan Coffey Addie Coleman Hadley Corson Kayla Curley Maddy Davis Emily Day Addyson Devlin Cowan Dohrman Austin Doolittle Logan Dumas Adam Easter Lauren Edwards Christian Eframo Samuel Egolf Sydney Elliot Jacob Farmer Connor Fillmore Lauren Francen Cael Gardner Caleb Gautier Liliana Gould Morgan Gregory Noah Haynes Evan Heitman Laurel Henbest Evan Hinds Noah Inman Naomi Ivey Shea Jensen Troy Johnson Adam Jurkowski Alex Kelly Ava Kelly Audrey Kim Brooke Kimball Angelina Kirk Rohen Kitners Caitlin LeBoeuf Isabella LeBoeuf Ethan Leverson Zach Ligrani Milah Lindvall Zrando Lopez Lillian Mackey Alena Marshall Wyatt Matthews Colby Mayka Bryn McDermott Ella McGeary Katie Metz Henri Midavaine Kyla Motazedi Zoe Mumford Elijah Murry Radley Nance Jodie Ngoe Presley Nichols Addi O’Haire Zaiah Olson Caleb Olson Adam Otero Hudson Partlow Natalia Poleschook Davis Preeo Asah Rangel Baron Roberts Samuel Romero Olivia Ryan Zach Salazar Mason Scott Simon Serna Lastra Catherine Slaughter John Spangler Isaac Stallings Ava Stegmaier Tea Sunahara Aubrie Titus Brendan Toney Boston Waddoups Westley Watson Xavier Watson Brailey Weibel Cameron Williamson Sydney Wilson Mac Wilt Jordan Yerxa
