KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Kalamazoo family is marking America's 250th birthday with a milestone of their own — their first Fourth of July as U.S. citizens.
Giovanna Hernandez and Jose Ortiz left Mexico for Michigan in 2013, drawn by the promise of opportunity.
"When we were in Mexico, you heard... every single movie had, like, oh, the American dream," Hernandez said.
The couple arrived in January, with a 6-month-old daughter in tow.
"There was the polar vortex at that moment, and we have never lived in US nor in Michigan, so it was quite the cultural shock and weather shock," Hernandez said.
Hernandez, a biochemical engineer, had accepted a job offer at Kellogg's. Despite taking English lessons, day-to-day communication proved challenging.
"Nothing prepares you to what the level of English that you need, just to for the day to day, right?" Hernandez said.
From work visas to a green card, building a life in the U.S. came with navigating plenty of paperwork. For years, the path to citizenship felt distant.
"It's a long process," Ortiz said. "It seemed like a dream, like way ahead, right, like super, like maybe unreachable."
After more than 10 years of living with uncertainty, the couple applied for citizenship last July. They studied for the civics exam together.
"It was like, 'Okay, study time, right? So, you study, study, study,'" Hernandez said.
They learned not only that they had both passed — but that they would become U.S. citizens on the same day.
"Finally, it's not even like closing the chapter, it's finally starting a new chapter in our life, where we can kind of be more calm and easy and relaxed regarding our situation here in the country," Ortiz said.
The naturalization ceremony took place June 3 at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids.
It was a family affair, with 10-year-old son Rodrigo and daughter Julieta — who came to the U.S. as a baby in 2013 — both in attendance. Then came a sweet surprise: the family learned Julieta would also become a citizen that day.
"It was very nice, because as a family we all became citizens, except for Rodrigo, that was already a citizen, because he was born here, but he shared the joy too," Ortiz said.
Now, Ortiz is proud to introduce himself a new way.
"Right now, every time that I'm finding someone new, I'm saying, 'Hey, I'm American,' it is something different," Ortiz said.
And he plans to honor both of his homelands.
"I'm gonna put my Mexican flag, I'm gonna put my American flag, and I'm gonna be proud of both," Ortiz said.
For the family, the American dream is real — but it requires work.
"The American dream is a sweet one, but you have to sweat it, and it's 100% true," Hernandez said. "Once you come here, you understand that one thing is to see it and other things to live it. It's very different for everyone. We are together, and that is a dream."
Hernandez and Ortiz also registered to vote the day they became citizens and say they are excited to exercise their civic duty. The family plans to celebrate the Fourth of July with family, friends and fireworks.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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