CLEVELAND — Alejandro Garcia Vega always wanted to be a pilot.

“I’m absolutely living my American dream," he said. "100%."

The flight instructor teaches at Burke Lakefront Airport. Garcia Vega officially became a United States citizen a few months ago.

What You Need To Know

  • The Fourth of July is especially meaningful for immigrants who become United States citizens

  • According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, on average, it takes more than seven years for a lawful permanent resident to become a naturalized citizen

  • Spectrum News met a man from Colombia who is celebrating his first Independence Day since his naturalization ceremony

“The belonging feeling of being in America and being an American is something super, super exciting," he said.

Growing up in Colombia, he lived near an airport and admired the planes. 

So, he set his sights on one day flying himself.

“I wanted to be a pilot since I was a little kid," he said. "For that reason, I needed to learn English, right. English is an international language especially for aviation. So, I needed to learn English."

That’s what brought him to Cleveland in 2016.

He enrolled at Tri-C to learn English and met his now wife, Manuela Iorio, at her parent’s restaurant in Little Italy. 

“Then we realized that we belong together," he said. "So, I took the necessary step. I proposed to her. We got married."

They got married on July 5, 2019. After the wedding, he started the U.S. Citizenship process. First, he got a green card, and after three years of marriage, he was eligible for naturalization.

Vega's naturalization ceremony was in February of this year. 

“Beautiful ceremony, really emotional," he said. "People from all over the world, we share the desire to become an American citizen."

This marks his first Independence Day as a U.S. citizen. After Thanksgiving, it’s his favorite American holiday.

“Have a seat and have a hot dog and a burger with my family, and I realize how grateful I should be for being here in this country," Vega said. "For the first time it’s going to be different because this time I’m going to be a citizen of the United States. So, it makes me really happy to celebrate with everybody."

His wife’s family immigrated to the United States from Italy in the mid-90s. Their support made his journey to citizenship smooth.

“They make sure I feel at home," he said. "Same thing that somebody did back in the days for them, they made sure I was feeling at home here and that’s exactly what Cleveland, Ohio, United States is for me. This is home for me."

Garcia Vega is proud to be an American and happy to celebrate the country’s freedom this Fourth of July.