By Chad Koenen

Publisher

With a group of residents from across the globe, Lumière Cabaluna Goeden couldn’t help but to hold back a smile as she officially became a citizen of a country she has called home for approximately seven years. As she took her oath of allegiance, Goeden was joined by her husband Matt and their daughter as she became a citizen of the United States of America, a country she said is rich with opportunities for people of all backgrounds.   ¶  “With a large group of people with different countries, that was so memorable,” she said of the immigration ceremony. “It was so emotional.”  

¶  On February 27, Goeden joined a group of other people at a Naturalization Ceremony at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center to take the oath of allegiance. The ceremony was the culmination of years of planning and work to celebrate not only Goeden’s new citizenship, but the citizenship of a number of others who also took the oath of allegiance to America.  ¶  “It was an honor and a privilege. This is a great country of opportunities and possibilities,” said Goeden of becoming a United States citizen. 

A native of the Philippines, Goeden has always loved to travel. That love of travel and thirst for adventure led her to America and a job as a medical lab scientist at a hospital in Oklahoma. The hospital petitioned for her to work in America and eventually Goeden decided that simply working in her new adopted home wasn’t enough as she began looking into options to make her residency in the United States more permanent. 

“I am proud to call America now my home,” said the Henning resident who currently works as a medical lab scientist at Astera Health in Wadena.

While she is now a citizen of the United States, getting to that point was anything but a walk in the park. The process took approximately seven years, which included immigration attorneys, countless stacks of paperwork, a test and interview with immigration officials to determine if she could become an American citizen. Over the last few years there were even rules on how much she could travel outside of the United States, she had to maintain a continuous residence in the United States and had to show that she could read, write and speak basic English, while also having a basic understanding of United States history and government. 

Once all of her initial work was completed, Goeden applied to become a citizen of the United States in September and took her citizenship test in December. While the test could be challenging for some people, Goeden said everybody is capable of passing it if they study and know a little about the new country they want to call home. 

Even though it took her years of planning and work to get to the point of taking the citizenship test, Goeden didn’t have to wait very long to find out that she passed the long-awaited test. She said immigration officials told applicants right away whether they passed the test or not.

Even though she could stay in the country as a permanent resident, the Henning resident said she wanted to become a citizen to allow her the opportunity to do things like vote and be a bigger part of the country she calls home. If she was simply in the country on a green card, for example, she could work and live in the United States, but couldn’t do things like vote or participate in federal obligations like serving on jury duty or being elected to a government body. 

Being in America and not becoming a citizen also meant Goeden could be subject to having her green card revoked if she leaves the country for too long or is convicted of a crime. Residents with green cards also need to reapply to keep their green card active, typically every 10 years. While it is usually a formality to be re-approved, becoming a permanent citizen takes that question out of the equation. 

Becoming a citizen will also make traveling a bit easier as well. With a thirst to travel, Goeden said traveling on an American Visa is much easier than traveling as a Philippine resident. 

While she is proud of her Philippine heritage, Goeden wanted to raise her family in the Henning area with her husband Matt and their two-year-old daughter.

“This is a great place to build a family,” she said of America. 

The new American citizens also had positive things to say about the residents of Henning who have welcomed her to the community since she moved to town approximately four years ago.

Now that she is a United States citizen, Goeden said she hopes to petition the government to bring her parents to her new country as well. Her family still lives in the Philippines and she is hoping they can come to America more freely to share her rich family history with her young child.

“For the sake of my child I want to share my heritage with my daughter,” she said. 

Until that time, Goeden is excited to be a bigger part of the United States of America and is looking forward to doing things like voting and traveling once again.