150 become U.S. citizens at Aurora University

Mira Banjac waited almost two decades for this day and when it finally arrived she chose to wear a yellow, flowered dress that matched the tones of her blonde hair.

Joined by her adult son, Predrag, Banjac stepped into the auditorium at Aurora University on Friday for a ceremony that naturalized almost 150 people from 33 countries as U.S. citizens.

"After 18 years of being a refugee, it is nice to finally have a place to belong," said Banjac through her son's translation.

A native of Bosnia, Banjac and her family began aiming to come to the United States in the early-1990s, at the start of The Bosnian War. First, the family took refuge in Serbia and began the bureaucratic waiting game of paperwork and interviews.

Predrag Banjac said their family faced economic challenges and knew it wasn't safe to return to their war-torn country. With the help of the Aurora office of World Relief, a nonprofit religious organization, they finally arrived here in 2002.

After remaining in the U.S. for the mandatory five years, Ilija Banjac, Mira's husband, was first to be naturalized and Predrag followed about two years later.

Finally it was Mira's turn.

"Of course you miss certain things about your home, like friends and places, because that is where you spent a part of your life," said Predrag Banjac. "But you feel lucky to finally have made it and psychologically you set yourself up to think: 'I am going to make my life here and I belong here now.'"

Cameras flashed and tiny American flags popped up and waived through the crowd as US. District Court Chief Judge William T. Hart swore in the new citizens.

He and other speakers emphasized the importance of upholding civic duties, especially voting. Hart also noted his solidarity with his new countrymen.

"This is an important day for you, your family and our countries," he said. "And we will remember it together because we are now together."