New Americans Take Oath Of Citizenship

Tulsa has 46 new American citizens. A naturalization ceremony was held at Carver Middle School on Wednesday. The News On 6's Steve Berg reports the ceremony was very special for Carver. Two of Carver's teachers became citizens and for the teachers, it was a learning experience.

Pamela Ashford hails from the United Kingdom. Stella Evans was born in the Bahamas. They are two islands an ocean apart, but not that different.

"I'm from the Bahamas which is a British Commonwealth, so we kind of got together over a cup of tea," said Stella Evans.

The two teachers have been friends at Carver for a long time, but there were still a few surprises.

"We actually didn't know the other person wasn't a citizen until we started talking about this. So it was kind of a revelation," said Pamela Ashford.

"And I said ya know what, I'm going to get my citizenship and she's like, well let's do it together. So we've traveled this journey together and it's great that we get to share our day," said Stella Evans.

But Stella, the American History teacher, had a decided advantage over Pamela, the mathematician.

"I remember going in for my interview and the person who interviewed me said, what you do? And I said I teach U.S. History, and he said, ah we have a live one here," said Stella Evans.

The experience has provided a living lesson for their students.

"And I thought it was wonderful to have the opportunity to go through this process and have my students watch also," said Stella Evans.

"We're a school that celebrates diversity, and so the students have been interested. They've asked me many questions. Many of which I've probably answered incorrectly, but it was with a good heart," added Pamela Ashford.

And now, they've learned what it feels like to be a U.S. citizen.

This was the first naturalization ceremony this year. Mexico produced the most new citizens with nine. Vietnam followed with four new citizens. Several other countries were tied at three. In all, there were 23 different nations represented at the ceremony.