American by choice

By Aldwin Fajardo

It never sits right with me when people question the American-ness of naturalized citizens, as if we’re somehow wearing a knock-off version of patriotism. You know, the kind that looks fine from afar but supposedly falls apart after a few washes. It’s as if the moment you weren’t born within these borders, your allegiance automatically comes with an asterisk: “subject to verification.”

Here’s the thing: becoming an American by choice isn’t some impulsive decision we made while scrolling government forms like Netflix categories. Naturalization is not an accident of birth; it’s a deliberate commitment. It means we studied the Constitution, recited the Oath of Allegiance line by line, and promised—hand over heart—to defend the very freedoms others sometimes take for granted.

We didn’t just inherit citizenship; we earned it. And like anything earned, it holds weight—sometimes heavier than those who acquired it as a birthright and treat voting day like a national inconvenience.

Let’s be clear: questioning a naturalized citizen’s loyalty isn’t just rude, it’s lazy thinking. It ignores the courage it takes to leave the familiar, the pain of starting over, and the humility of pledging allegiance to a new flag while still loving the land that raised you. 

For us, standing before that flag wasn’t just another ceremony. It was a moment of rebirth. The oath wasn’t recited; it was felt. Every syllable tasted like relief, gratitude and hope mixed together.

It’s not divided loyalty. It’s expanded love. Because when you’ve crossed oceans for a dream, you don’t take that dream for granted.

We don’t stop being who we are; we just add another layer to who we are. We bring our histories, our languages, our food, our faith, our humor, our resilience and our sometimes-unpronounceable last names to enrich the tapestry that’s already here.

So when someone throws shade and asks, “But where are you really from?” as if our passports came from Amazon, it cuts deep. It’s not just an insult; it’s a dismissal of our story, our sacrifice and our sincerity.

The word citizen doesn’t come with an origin label. It comes with a conscious, informed and deeply personal choice. And for many of us, that choice was not just about belonging to a country, it was about believing in it.

We are Americans not by accident, but by affirmation. We didn’t inherit this identity, we chose it. And that choice came with a promise to uphold, protect and participate in the ideals that define this country. 

Because for many of us, America isn’t just where we live. It’s where our courage found its home. And what could possibly be more American than that?

Aldwin Fajardo-Ponder ditched newsroom deadlines for nursing home call lights. He is now a licensed nursing home administrator in California. He worked as a reporter for Marianas Variety on Saipan and as editor for the now-defunct Saipan Tribune.

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