A group of children from over a dozen countries fulfilled their dreams in America Friday, officially becoming citizens during a ceremony in Hialeah.
The 178 children attended the ceremony at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services field office.
“For the past four days I’ve had trouble sleeping, I was excited, I couldn’t control myself," said Gonzalo Baeza, who came from Chile 15 years ago with his mother Sandra Diaz. “I’m so proud of him, finally this is over cause we were waiting so long.”
Many said they're now ready to take advantage of opportunities that they did not have.
"I plan on going to college one day and hopefully becoming a police officer,” Baeza said.
Daniela Martinez said that she already has plans to start college in the fall and is studying to become a dentist.
"We live in the best country, why wouldn't we want to do this," she said.
A portion of the ceremony featured a video speech from President Obama, who had a message for the kids.
"With the privilege of citizenship comes great responsibilities," he said.
Over 640,000 people have become United States citizens in the past year, according to USCIS.
For more information on becoming a U.S. citizen, click here.
Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida