Editor's Note: Above video shows a naturalization ceremony in Spokane held in May
SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. - The CenterPlace Regional Event Center hosted a naturalization ceremony for 98 new U.S. citizens from 40 different countries on Tuesday.
The ceremony is one of over 316 taking place from Sept. 13-23 in celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, which are both celebrated on Sept. 17. This week is also Constitution Week.
Miss Spokane Valley Outstanding Teen 2019 Tiffany Abrams sang the national anthem at the ceremony. The Oath of Allegiance was administered by Chief Judge Thomas O. Rice.
Constitution Day celebrates the signing of the Constitution in 1787 and Citizenship Day was first celebrated during the Truman administration in 2952.
Photos: 98 people become U.S. citizens in Spokane Valley
Slavic Ustimnko, who was lived in America his whole life, was one among the 98 people to become citizens on Tuesday.
"It felt nice to finally become a citizen. ...It's nice to finally be home. I've been wanting this for a long time but I had circumstances come up," he said.
The best for him: seeing his family supporting him in the audience.
"It was nice that my whole family was here pretty much and they cheered me on. It was the loudest cheer of anybody here," he said.
When KREM asked Ustimnko about why he loves living in America, he pinpointed several freedoms.
"There's a lot of favorite things about living here. I love the fact that I have freedom of religion and there's no wars going on in America. That's an amazing thing. In the country I'm from, there are wars going on right now," he said.
His advice to others: Don't wait 23 years to be a citizen.
"Don't be me," he said with a laugh.
RELATED: Rocker Billy Idol becomes US citizen