Every year over 10,000 immigrants enter the United States to become citizens. Some of them compose the student body here at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. Seniors Chinaza Nwaneri and Rachel Ketz are citizens of more than one country. Having been born abroad or having a parent from a different country, these two seniors are dual citizens, meaning that they are a citizen of two countries at the same time.
The US is no doubt a country made up of immigrants. Assistant Director of the Center for Immigration Studies John Wahala estimates 20 percent of all children in the United States have foreign-born parents and by 2040 one in three children will be raised in an immigrant household.
Students born in Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico make up nearly 80 percent of all immigration to the United States. For seniors Nwaneri and Ketz, celebrating their heritage is a daily ritual.
Senior Chinaza Nwaneri immigrated to America from Nigeria as a young child, moving into the suburbs of Woodbury. “Being a dual citizen is like the best of both worlds in my eyes,” Nwaneri said. “I’m glad that I get to have this gift of being part of more than one culture nor will I ever regret it.”
Nwaneri’s family first came to the U.S. in 1997, and since then Nwaneri hasn’t traveled back to Nigeria since. “I don’t get to visit a lot. My mom is the only one that has gone more than once.”
Although difficult to visit Nigeria, Nwaneri always keeps in touch with relatives. “My relatives visit us here in the U.S. a ton. My grandma comes every summer, and uncles and aunts visit as well often,” Nwaneri said.
For Senior Rachel Ketz, England has always been a second home, making over twenty five trips to England since she can remember. “My family and I try and go there every year,” Ketz said. “My parents and I usually spend a day in London before we drive down to the Southwest where most of my family lives.”
With a British mother and an American father, Ketz holds a dual citizenship between the US and the UK. “Having a dual citizenship means I can work anywhere in Europe and If I want to live in the UK one day I can just go and I don’t have to worry about applying for a green card,” Ketz explained.
Because her family doesn’t live next door, Ketz has learned to value them all the more. “I am so grateful to be able to call England a home away from home,” said Ketz. “When in the U.S., I often get homesick for England.” When visiting England Ketz usually spends her time in the southwest relaxing at “various beaches and watching movies.”
Amongst what seems like thousands of extended family members all over the world, from South Africa to Puerto Rico, Ketz has enjoyed being a bridesmaids in two very traditional English wedding.
Ketz says being a dual citizen provides her with a more well rounded view on life and has taught her to have a “bigger appreciation for different culture around the world.”
Proud to be both a U.S. and UK citizen, Ketz sometimes “gets picked on for saying words funny or using British terms like Boot (instead of trunk) or Mac (instead of rain jacket)” but is used to it now.
“I have a lifelong passion for travel and that is partly responsible because of all the opportunities I’ve had to visit my family overseas,” said Ketz.
