Jim Hacking was recently asked by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to serve as Guest Speaker at a July 2013 Naturalization Ceremony. Â The event was held in the en banc courtroom of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Â Fifty-one men and women from across the globe became U.S. citizens after a brief ceremony.
In his remarks, Jim discussed the long journey of many steps that the new citizens had to take in order to reach this stage - coming to the U.S. as an alien, applying for lawful permanent resident status, being a person of good moral character and passing the naturalization exam. Â The important role that immigrants continue to play in America in 2013 was highlighted.
Jim mentioned his gratitude for all of the wonderful immigrants in his life - not only his many clients, but more specifically, his colleague Jennifer Shoulberg who came to the U.S. at a very young age from South Korea and his assistant Adela Zepcan, who came to St. Louis from Bosnia-Herzegovina. Â Most importantly, he discussed his wife Amany's journey from El Mansura, Egypt to the U.S. back in 1979.
The ceremony was presided over by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kathy Surrat-States, with assistance from Jennifer Roy of the U.S. Attorney's office. Â It was a tremendous honor and a lot of fun to be part of the celebration.
