Don’t forget your story. Take the time to share your story, so that we can all be reminded that we all come from someplace else. We are a country of immigrants.
Michelle Clamor Nennig got a frosty reception in October 2014 when she first set foot in the United States.
She had flown from Manila in the Philippines, landed in Chicago and stepped off the plane wearing shorts.
“I had no idea how cold it was going to be here,” she recalled with a laugh.
A dozen years later, the welcome was much warmer at Milwaukee Area Technical College, where Nennig was one of 107 immigrants who officially became United States citizens at a federal naturalization ceremony in MATC’s Cooley Auditorium.
“This is making me so happy,” said Nennig, whose husband and three children attended the event. “I’m going to be voting, that’s for sure. I’m not sure what else I’ll be doing. There’s so much that I can do now and that is a great feeling.”
Immigrants from 31 countries stood in the auditorium, took the Oath of Allegiance from U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph, received official documents and a small American flag, and became citizens.
The ceremony was organized by Milwaukee’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
“Today, we recognize and celebrate the reward for your patience and dedication,” said MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz, whose parents became citizens after emigrating from Cuba. “Each of you has the capacity to make great change and progress in this country.”
Dr. Cruz urged the new citizens to register to vote and exercise their new right to go to the ballot box. “Voting is an important cornerstone of our democracy; it is the voice being heard and counted,” Dr. Cruz said. “Your voices matter.”
Naturalization is the process by which U.S. citizenship is conferred upon a foreign citizen or national after he or she fulfills the requirements established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The key requirements are that candidates must be at least 18, have resided in the country for at least five years, have good moral character, pass a series of basic English language and U.S. civics knowledge exams, and swear the Oath of Allegiance.
Joseph presided over the ceremony and shared her personal naturalization journey.
Her parents came from Haiti to New York City in 1969. They had little formal education and even less money, Joseph said. But they worked hard, saved money and eventually raised 10 children in the United States.
Joseph arrived here when she was 8 years old and became a citizen in 1987. She eventually became a judge, while one sibling earned a doctorate in education, another earned an M.B.A., two became nurses and one served in the United States Air Force for 30 years.
“All of you have a version of my story,” Joseph told the crowd. “Don’t forget your story. Take the time to share your story so that we can all be reminded that we all come from someplace else. We are a country of immigrants.”
Nennig grew up in Manila and met her American husband online. He traveled from Wisconsin to the Philippines to meet, then marry her. Once in the United States, she worked at Walmart as an electronics product salesperson. She began her citizenship path last September, after living in the United States for 11 years.
As Nennig and the other new citizens recited the oath, family and friends raised dozens of cellphones in the air to record the moment. Joseph encouraged the crowd to applaud.
“This is the dream of America,” Joseph added. “We should celebrate it every chance we get.”
As part of the celebration, the third grade class from Milwaukee’s Gold Meir School sang the song “We The People.”
After the event, the new citizens took photos with Joseph and learned about more MATC courses and programs. The college offers citizenship courses through its English as a Second Language program. The Milwaukee League of Women Voters also registered new voters.
In Milwaukee, naturalization ceremonies are usually held each month at the federal courthouse. MATC hosted a naturalization ceremony in November 2024, when 36 students who participated in the college’s citizenship program became citizens. The college also hosted ceremonies in March 2020, March 2019, October 2019 and in October 2013.
Learn more about MATC’s English as a Second Language programs
About MATC: As Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 180 academic programs — many that prepare students for jobs immediately upon completion and others that provide transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.