Two new citizens welcomed to Putnam County (Cookeville, Baxter: house, landscaping)

[JMT]

Perhaps as a sign of the growing immigrant population in the area, for the first time ever, Cookeville hosted a naturalization ceremony for two immigrants becoming American citizens. One is from Russia, the other is from Mexico.

From today's Herald-Citizen:

The American dream became reality for two U.S. immigrants Friday in the Putnam County Courthouse, the first naturalization ceremony ever to be held in the Upper Cumberland.

Cookeville resident Elena Diaz, 38, was born in Siberia, Russia, but she came to the U.S. through a student exchange program 17 years ago. For the past 15 years, she's worked at the Truist Call Center, formerly Suntrust, where she is now a manager.

"I thought I would have more opportunities here," Diaz said of why she decided to stay in the U.S.

Her son, Noah, is 16 years old, and although she still has family in Russia, Cookeville has been her home for nearly two decades.

Ruperto Leon was 15 years old with a sixth grade education when he moved from a town near Mexico City, Mexico, to Lamont, California, where he worked in the fields raising tomatoes and cucumbers, but his 19-year-old son, Hector, said his dad knows how to do a little bit of everything, including building a house from the ground up.

Ruperto said he tried to move to Hawaii, where he worked for seven months, from California, but through a phone call from a friend, he moved to Baxter Oct. 19, 1998.

Ruperto and his wife, Patricia, were neighbors in their native country, but they didn't actually meet until they were both living in California. The two married Dec. 29, 1991, and will celebrate their 31st anniversary this year, and they have four children — Erick, 28; Daniel, 26; Hector, 19; and Amy, 17.

Ruperto worked approximately 16 years in the landscaping business, and he and his family live in Cookeville.

Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said, "We're a very open, welcoming community. As you know, no matter where you're from, we're all God's children. We try to welcome everyone. I try to represent everyone, and we're happy to have you here in Cookeville and Putnam County."



Read more here:
https://herald-citizen.com/stories/t...-county,61351?

[doc1]

Congratulations!

[Kamen_Rider]

Congrats, that's cool to see.

[drinkthekoolaid]

Welcome, and congratulations.

Thanks for going about it the right way, jumping through the hoops and becoming citizens.

Now go pursue the American dream.