Black Widow
12-08-2009, 12:20 AM
TAMPA - A wrestling superstar is now a U.S. citizen.
Oleg Prudius, better known as Vladimir Kozlov, is a fighter with the WWE. He joined more than 400 others, taking the Oath of Allegiance at the Tampa Convention Center today.
Vladimir says this was a dream of his, as a young boy.
"Oh to be a U.S. citizen has been like a dream for long time. When I was raised and born in Russia, I had [a] dream to come to United States because U.S. [is a] land of big opportunity," Kozlov explained.
He has been a success in the ring and on the big screen.
"If you work hard, you can reach whatever you want," Kozlov said just minutes before he was officially deemed a citizen.
People from 74 countries made up this class of citizens. The top five countries they came from included Cuba, India, UK, Vietnam and Philippines.
Yuliya from the Ukraine was all smiles as she waved her American flag.
"A lot of pride because I went through a lot to get here to this point, I'm just proud to be here," she said.
Each of the new citizens has lived in the U.S. for at least five years and took a naturalization test with questions about American history. They also had to learn to read and write in English.
Kathy Redman, the district manager for the Tampa office of the U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization office said it's a great day for the men and women.
"They'll be able to vote after this. They'll be able to sit on juries," she said. "They'll be able to apply for some government jobs. It really is an exciting time for them."
"Congratulations, you all are now citizens of the United States," Redman declared after reading them their oath.
A round of cheers went up.
Vladimi Koslov was all smiles, a far cry from his rough demeanor in the ring.
myfoxtampabay.com
Oleg Prudius, better known as Vladimir Kozlov, is a fighter with the WWE. He joined more than 400 others, taking the Oath of Allegiance at the Tampa Convention Center today.
Vladimir says this was a dream of his, as a young boy.
"Oh to be a U.S. citizen has been like a dream for long time. When I was raised and born in Russia, I had [a] dream to come to United States because U.S. [is a] land of big opportunity," Kozlov explained.
He has been a success in the ring and on the big screen.
"If you work hard, you can reach whatever you want," Kozlov said just minutes before he was officially deemed a citizen.
People from 74 countries made up this class of citizens. The top five countries they came from included Cuba, India, UK, Vietnam and Philippines.
Yuliya from the Ukraine was all smiles as she waved her American flag.
"A lot of pride because I went through a lot to get here to this point, I'm just proud to be here," she said.
Each of the new citizens has lived in the U.S. for at least five years and took a naturalization test with questions about American history. They also had to learn to read and write in English.
Kathy Redman, the district manager for the Tampa office of the U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization office said it's a great day for the men and women.
"They'll be able to vote after this. They'll be able to sit on juries," she said. "They'll be able to apply for some government jobs. It really is an exciting time for them."
"Congratulations, you all are now citizens of the United States," Redman declared after reading them their oath.
A round of cheers went up.
Vladimi Koslov was all smiles, a far cry from his rough demeanor in the ring.
myfoxtampabay.com