Seventeen new U.S. citizens had a stunning backdrop for their naturalization ceremony this year: Crater Lake.
In that group was CVM professor Erica McKenzie, who came to America as a veterinary student from Perth, Australia. “It felt like a very special thing to be here with so few people, and hear the speeches that they gave and how welcoming they were to introduce us to their country and envelop us as part of it — it was pretty incredible,” she says.
The Crater Lake ceremony is one of a hundred being held at National Parks across the country this year. It’s part of the U.S. National Park Service’s centennial celebration. “It was a lot more emotional than I expected it to be,” said McKenzie after the ceremony.