One-hundred and one years after coming to the United States, Elulia Garcia-Maturey finally attained what she always wanted - to be a citizen of the country where she spent all her life.
A federal judge administered the oath of allegiance and even congratulated the newest U.S. Citizen for never giving up on her goal.
Garcia was extremely thankful.
"Here I’ve had so many opportunities and over there where I was born, well I don't recall I was a baby when I came here," Garcia-Maturey said.
Now that she is a citizen, Garcia-Maturey plans to put her rights to use immediately.
She plans to travel to visit family in Mexico and vote in the upcoming November elections.
Things many people take for granted are this woman's wildest dreams, she said, since she spent more than 100 years not being able to do them.
Certificate in hand, she said nothing can stop her now.
"I’m going to show (my naturalization certificate) off to everyone I'm so very happy, so content and I feel so at ease now," Garcia-Maturey said.
U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services Field Director Antonio Lopez said the process to certify Garcia-Maturey as a candidate for citizenship took about six months.
Garcia-Maturey got her own citizenship ceremony because Lopez said she's one of a kind.
"It's not everyday where we have someone who's 101 years-old taking the oath of allegiance," Lopez said.
Garcia-Maturey's niece, Yolanda Garcia-Ovalle, describes her aunt as a second mother.
She said her aunt couldn’t even sleep the night before her ceremony just thinking that the time to realize her long awaited dream had finally come.
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