GOSHEN – Svetlana Simeonova, a native of Bulgaria who works in the Orange County Clerk’s Office, was the keynote speaker at the naturalization ceremony on Thursday, at the county’s Emergency Services Center in Goshen.
County Clerk Kelly Eskew administered the Oath of Allegiance to the new citizens and Orange County Supreme Court Justice E. Loren Williams presided over the ceremony.
“Svetlana has a wonderful story and we enjoyed that she shared it at the naturalization ceremony,” Eskew said. “It resonated with the audience and the new citizens. Recognizing the new citizens and welcoming them to this great country is always an inspirational experience. Svetlana is a dedicated member of the clerk’s office and I’m proud to work with her.”
Simeonova was born and raised in Bulgaria and came to the U.S. in July of 2011 with her children, Georgi, and Monika. Her husband, Simeon, had arrived in the country three months earlier after winning the Green Card lottery in 2009.
Mrs. Simeonova started working for the county clerk’s office in March of 2018 and lives with her family in Monroe. She became a naturalized citizen in 2021.
Sixty-one people from 27 countries took the Oath of Allegiance, the final part of the naturalization process, renouncing all foreign allegiance while pledging to support and defend the American Constitution and to follow the laws of the United States.
“We are proud to recognize this profound accomplishment of these new citizens and to welcome them to our great country,” Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said. “What makes Orange County and this country so exceptional are the people from all over the world who through this process become part of the fabric of our communities.”
