Sacramento State President Alexander Gonzalez urged hundreds of recent naturalized citizens to continue learning about the world and to continue to make education a part of their culture during the U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Form Services Naturalization Ceremony on Feb. 17 at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.

The ceremony granted 811 immigrants from 88 countries, including 14 Sacramento State students, citizenship.

Gonzalez, who spoke at a naturalization ceremony last April, said he knows what issues immigrant families deal with when settling in the United States.

Gonzalez’s parents were both born in Mexico, and moved to the U.S. to escape the revolution in the 1930s. His father became a naturalized citizen after his service in the Air Force during World War II, while his mother remained a permanent resident her entire life.

Gonzalez was the eldest of seven children and was the first in his family to attend college. He said throughout his childhood there were various hardships, but education helped guide him in the right direction.

Gonzalez said the California State University system gives more immigrant students the opportunity to further their education.

“We’re the gateway, that door that opens up for students who otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to go to a university at all,” he said.

He added that Sac State has various programs, such as the College Assistance Migrant Program and Equal Opportunity Program, to help immigrant students successfully make it through college.

Jose Luis Pinon-Ramirez, who became a naturalized citizen on Feb. 17, said he is looking forward to giving back to the community.

Pinon-Ramirez has lived in the U.S. for about 30 years. He and his wife are both from Mexico.

“I want my children to have a good life,” he said in Spanish.

Susan Curda, district director of U.S. Immigration & Citizenship Form Services in Sacramento, urged all citizens at the ceremony to not forget about their “chores.”

“You are now part of our family, and as member of our family we’re going to give you chores, just like every good family does,” Curda said. “And those chores are to show your involvement in this country, to vote, to get yourself involved in the community.”

She said all citizens represent various different threads, but they must not forget that now they all make up one fabric.

Nallelie Vega can be reached at [email protected].