Five percent of our Armed Forces is made up of immigrants, men and women who have sworn to give their lives, if needed, for their new home. For some, they decide to become citizens for the nation they serve.

On Dec. 6, 2017 the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) gained a new U.S. citizen, Seaman Ingrid Seixas.

Born in Rio De Janerio, Brazil, Seixas is the first in her family to gain her U.S. citizenship. When she was eight-years-old, Seixas, her mother, and step-father made the first of many trips from Brazil to New York; her step-father's construction frequently had the family going back and forth. And in 2007 she finally settled in New York.

While living in New York she worked as a make-up artist, enjoying the structure and high-tempo environment of living in the city. However, in 2014, Seixas moved to Baltimore to be closer to her husband. She felt as though she lost the structure she previously had and wanted something in her life that was fast paced and organized. Which is what inspired her to join the Navy.

"I've been in the United States for 10 years, so if I do at least four years in the Navy it's like I'm giving back to the country," said Seixas. "I didn't join the military to become a citizen, it's just a plus."

While becoming a citizen is a quicker process for service members than most immigrants, it's still a difficult task. Seixas's naturalization process started in Nov. 2016 while attending basic training, at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, located in Illinois.

Her naturalization continued in Jan 2017, while attending the Surface Common Core course. She had to pass an interview on American history and geography. She also had to pass an English proficiency test.

Often times one is able to swear in the next day after their interview, but Seixas's naturalization process was put on hold; in February 2017, she was assigned to the Bataan and deployed for seven months.

By the end of the year her citizenship was back on track and two weeks before the holidays she was able to give her Oath of Allegiance. During her ceremony, Seixas wasn't the only service member in the group, there were a few other service members as well. She noted that they were given little American flags, and her along with the rest of the group said the Pledge of Allegiance and Oath of Allegiance in unison making her an official U.S. citizen.

Seixas added that she takes pride in being the first of her family to become a naturalized citizen and that it also enhances her naval career.

"Since I'm an undesignated Seaman, becoming a citizen opens up a lot of doors for me when it comes time to choose a job," said Seixas. "Once I get through the security clearance process I'll be able to select a job in February."

Seixas says moving to United States showed her how quickly she's able to pick up new languages. When she first moved to the U.S she was able to learn English pretty quickly, with that talent in mind, she wants to pursue a career as a Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) so she can continue to learn new languages.

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