Hundreds of grade-school students at Eastgate Elementary School in Bellevue gathered last week for a real-life civic lesson to witness the naturalization of 19 U.S. citizens. The Bellevue residents drew a curious gaze from their small observers as Bellevue Mayor Conrad Lee, in a keynote address, encouraged the children in a bellowing, animated voice, to follow their dreams. Though everyone in the room came from a different background, “we are all American,” Lee told the students, and citizenship is key. During the ceremony, immigrants stood up across one side of the gym to take their U.S. Oath of Allegiance, hailing from China, Burma, Canada, Mexico, India, Ukraine, Iran, the Ivory Coast, Peru, Russia and Singapore. After receiving his certificate of citizenship, software engineer Sid Gollestaneh, was happy to report that he can now run for governor after 11 years in the U.S.
