A group of 20 individuals – including several Niagara College students – took their first steps as members of the ‘Canadian Family’ on Oct. 24, as the College’s Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus hosted a new citizenship ceremony.
Candidates swore or affirmed the oath of citizenship, signed their final citizenship papers and sang ‘O Canada’ as Canadians for the first time in an hour-long ceremony, hosted in the Yerich Auditorium.
Semir Idris is in his second year of studies in NC’s Construction Engineering program. He and his wife Sara Imam, moved to Canada from Saudi Arabia in 2015, and along with their young son Abdulrahman Idris, all received their citizenship at the ceremony. “Canada is such a welcoming country,” he said. “I enjoy every single day. I love meeting people from all over the world – it’s not easy to do that in other countries.”
Second-year Civil Engineering Technician student Semir Idris (left) his wife Sara Imam and their five year-old son Abdulrahman Idris all received their Canadian citizenship at a special citizenship ceremony Oct. 24 at the NOTL Campus.
The ceremony was presided over by an individual who is no stranger to NC: Michael Scott. A past chair of NC’s board of Governors, and former faculty member, Scott was awarded the Order of Canada – the country’s highest award recognizing a civilian – in 2008. In his remarks to the 20 new Canadians, Scott, himself a first-generation Canadian, commended them on the commitment they had shown in their pursuit of Canadian citizenship, and urged them to remain involved with their new community through volunteering.
October is also National Women’s History month, and Scott took the opportunity to highlight the rich and diverse contributions women have made toward the creation of the Canada we enjoy today – including examples from Niagara’s own history, like Laura Secord and Harriet Tubman.
Michael Scott (left), former chair of NC’s Board of Governors and recipient of the Order of Canada, presided over the citizenship ceremony at the NOTL Campus Oct. 24. President Dan Patterson also brought greetings on behalf of the College as it hosted the first ceremony in its history.
Other special guests included Wayne Gates, Member of Provincial Parliament for Niagara Falls, Betty Disero, Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake, and Grace Chon, a graduate of NC’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program, and former Benchmark Restaurant employee who also recently obtained her Canadian citizenship in January 2019.
Niagara College president Dan Patterson also counted it an honour to the college to be able to host its first citizenship ceremony, noting the unique place NC has in welcoming newcomers to Canada every year.
“Every year we welcome thousands of students from close to 100 countries around the world as they begin their educational journey with us,” said Patterson. “For many of them, Niagara College is their first Canadian experience, and it’s an incredible privilege to be able to walk them through their first steps into Canadian society and culture.”
