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From Genesee Community College:

Genesee Community College is pleased to announce that second year student Moses Nhial has become a United States citizen. A celebration for this significant occasion took place on February 19 with students, faculty, friends and local legislators in attendance to congratulate Moses on his remarkable achievement.

The celebration took place in the library at the Batavia campus and many library staff members, as well as friends and College Village roommates of Moses, were present. Local legislators on hand were Genesee County legislature chair, Mary Pat Hancock, Genesee Community College's Board of Trustees chair, Laurie Miller, and Genesee County legislator, Jerome (Jay) Grasso on behalf of New York State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer.

Moses was presented with a Certificate of Recognition from Senator Ranzenhofer, as well as gifts from Genesee's library staff. Moses took a few moments to express his gratitude and speak on his past and future plans. "When I came to the United States, they called us the Lost Boys," Moses said. "But now I feel as if I have been found."

Moses Nhial, a refugee from Sudan and a full-time student at Genesee Community College, has experienced trials and suffering that most Americans can hardly imagine, much less endure. Moses overcame incredible adversity to become an ambitious young man, flourishing in an environment very unlike what he experienced growing up. Born in 1987 in Sudan, Moses' childhood was filled with attacks on his village and constant fleeing to new refugee camps and other countries to avoid violence and brutality. With help from the United Nations and Catholic Charities, Moses came to the United States in 2001 and ever since has been thriving as an extraordinary young adult. For more information on Moses' past and future plans, please visit http://web.genesee.edu/news/dspArticle/2554/.

Photo caption: Standing left to right are at Moses Nhial's U.S. Citizenship celebration: Mary Pat Hancock, chair of Genesee County Legislature; Jerome J. Grasso, Genesee County Legislator standing in for Michael Ranzenhofer of the New York State Senate; Moses Nhial, Genesee Community College student and recent US citizen; Laurie J. Miller, chair of Genesee's Board of Trustees; and Genesee's President, Stuart Steiner.