Friends and Neighbors,
February 14th was Oregon's 160th Birthday. You are all invited to come and share in Oregon's birthday celebration at the Capitol this Saturday (February 16th) from 10am to 2pm. Find out more information about specific events here. Also enjoy this short video below in honor of Oregon's 160th year of statehood.
Yesterday, here at the Capitol we celebrated not only with lots of treats but with a special Naturalization Ceremony held on the House Chamber Floor.
 Seventeen people took the oath to become United States citizens yesterday. What an amazing and proud day for all that attended. I was also very moved by the reaction of a member from my office team and I asked if she would be willing to share her beautiful perspective as an observer of the ceremony. Thank you Nickole.❤️
By Nickole Vargas - Having never attended a Naturalization Ceremony before, I was excited to have the opportunity to go and watch people from around the world being sworn in as U.S. citizens. The sense of anticipation and excitement was evident as I joined a large group of observers in the gallery above the House floor. I immediately thought of my own Mother-in-law, Maria, who came to the United States in the mid-1960s to work and provide a better life for her family. She came to the U.S. under the provision of a work visa and has worked in both factories and fields straight through the birth of her 7 children, death of her husband that left her as a single mom, and finally to her retirement only a few short years ago. Nobody I know has ever worked harder to provide for her family. When I first met Maria, she had only two days off a month, every other Sunday. Yet somewhere in her busy life, she was determined to become a citizen herself, a status that was given to her children that were born here. As I watched the people before me raise their hands and take the oath of citizenship, I was imagining Maria and I was overcome with the emotions of happiness and victory that she must have felt as I observed it occurring in those before me. I am honored that I was there to witness our new fellow American citizens take their oath; and in being there, I was reminded once again that the fabric of our great nation is woven together by the threads of all people who come to the United States seeking freedom, justice and happiness.
Onward and Upward,
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-487, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman
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