Published: Feb. 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM EST|Updated: 32 minutes ago
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – On Wednesday, Gabriela Georgiadis watched her 88-year-old mother, Maria Grigore, take the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States.
“She has grandchildren that are American-Romanian, her son-in-law is American, and, now, she is part of the big American family,” Gabriela said.
It was a dream Maria couldn’t have imagined as a little girl. She was born on Nov. 5, 1936, in a tiny village in Romania. She lived through World War II and decades under the control of the Romanian Communist Party.
“But she always kept her smile on her face and was very positive. And she overcame a lot of obstacles,” Gabriela said.
She passed that attitude to her kids. Gabriela moved to the United States to follow her American dream and eventually started a family of her own.
Maria got her green card and would fly halfway across the world to spend months with her family.
However, she never applied to become a citizen because she thought she’d have to take the test in English.
“When I found out she could take the exam in Romanian with a translator, we applied last year, and she studied for a few months,” Gabriela said.
She used flashcards and read up on as much U.S. history as possible before the 100-question exam, which she passed with flying colors.
Surrounded by friends and family, she officially became a citizen of the United States of America.
“She’s very happy and very proud to be an American citizen,” Gabriela translated for her mom.
Gabriela said her mother sacrificed so much for her family to be here, and now she’s here for good.
“It’s a dream come true that, you know, I had the opportunity, and I’m very proud to be here. And she is becoming an American citizen,” she said.
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