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Gompa becomes U.S. citizen
January 28, 2003 | ||||||
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Professor of Mathematics Raghu Gompa, Ph.D., along with his wife, Vijaya, took the oath of U.S. citizenship on November 21, 2002. Chancellor Ruth Person and Professor Emeritus Herbert Miller, Ph.D., were among guests the Gompas invited to the ceremony in Indianapolis. The Gompas are originally from India. Raghu came here in 1982 to pursue his doctorate at the University of Toledo (Ohio), and his wife followed two years later. All three of their children were already citizens, having been born in the United States. After obtaining his doctorate in 1987, Gompa joined the faculty of IU Kokomo. Vijaya Gompa teaches mathematics for Clinton Central schools. Gompa said he had been thinking about becoming a citizen for several years. “As I lived in the United States, I finally said, ‘This is my home.’ ” The September 11 terrorist attacks on America solidified the Gompas’ decision to take the citizenship test. “We said, ‘This has to be our priority, to show our support,’” Gompa explained. Reflecting on the attacks, Gompa said, “I was so sad. It was devastating to see that someone from somewhere else could [attempt to] shatter the ideas about America . . . our legal protection, culture, freedom.” With “wonderful” help from the Kokomo Public Library and looking to their own collection of American history books, the Gompas prepared to take the test for U.S. citizenship on September 9, 2002. They had hoped to be sworn in as citizens by the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the actual swearing in ceremony was delayed until November. Gompa was especially pleased when 1994 alumna Staci DeLon attended and videotaped the event for her former teacher.
Showing off a T-shirt proclaiming, “Proud to be an American,” Gompa said he knows citizenship carries responsibility. He is considering volunteering to help with voter registration. “As a citizen, you have to get involved to make the community the best place it can be to live in,” he said.
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