‘YOU ARE NOW AMERICANS’ Twenty-Five take oath of citizenship at Bangor Ceremony

With a tiny U.S. flag sticking out of his breast pocket, Andrew “Drew” Crosthwaite of Ellsworth acknowledged that he has lived in the United States for 21 years.

However, it wasn’t until this Friday morning that he became a U.S. citizen, taking the official oath of citizenship.

After the ceremony in Bangor, Crosthwaite, surrounded by family members, said he was excited about becoming a U.S. citizen, but the hockey fan added, “I’m still going to cheer for Team Canada.”

A naturalization ceremony was held Friday in U.S. District Court at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building, granting full citizenship to 25 people from 15 countries.

U.S. District Judge John Woodcock presided, declaring it “a joyous and momentous occasion.”

Crosthwaite, the son of state Rep. Robert Crosthwaite, R-Ellsworth, was the fourth member of his family to be naturalized in the Bangor courtroom. His parents became citizens 15 years ago, and his sister followed suit in 2002.

“Now I can actually vote for my own dad,” Drew Crosthwaite said.

The new citizen, who grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada, said he planned to celebrate with lunch at Bangor’s Bugaboo Creek restaurant “because it’s Canadian-themed.”

Representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution presented the new citizens with miniature American flags after the ceremony.

“You are now Americans,” Woodcock told the new citizens, “and you have the freedom to do what you want.”

Chia-Ju Hsieh married her husband, Scott Lewis, 13 years ago when they were both living in Taiwan. Eight years ago, the couple and their bilingual daughter moved to the United States, eventually settling in Kennebunk.

Hsieh said after the ceremony that she was excited about becoming a citizen. Lewis said Woodcock’s words were “very welcoming” and that they emphasized “the freedom that the U.S. offers.”

Aurelie Adrien, originally from France, said that becoming a citizen made her feel very good. She said she has lived in the United States for eight years. She and her husband live in Greenville.

Candidates for citizenship must fulfill a variety of requirements that include a belief in the U.S. Constitution, good moral character, English-speaking skills and knowledge of U.S. history.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services reports that the average applicant takes between six and nine months to become naturalized, according to its Web site.

Jancy Mojica of Bangor used the naturalization process as an opportunity to change her name from “Jency” because, she said, “[I] just like it better.” She said she has lived in the United States for 16 years.