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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЖОВТЕНЬ 2015 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 15 STEPHANIE SYDORIAK OF THE UNWLA GIVES A KEYNOTE AT A NATURALIZATION CEREMONY Stephanie Chopek Sydoriak, 88, of Los Alamos, NM, was invited by the Park Superintendent, Jason Lott, to give the keynote speech at a naturalization ceremony which took place at Bandelier National Monu- ment on July 4. Seventeen prospective citizens from Northern New Mexico were sworn in by the U.S. District Judge, the Honorable Christina Armijo. They came from China, France, Iraq, Jor- dan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Ukraine, and Vietnam. The audience of family and friends of the new citizens as well as Park Personnel reached almost a hundred. Stephanie was asked by the superintendent to hand each new citizen a folded American flag. This she did with a hearty welcome and a handshake. Once the ceremonies had concluded, Stephanie delivered the keynote speech. The Park Superintendent, Jason Lott, who had arranged the event at the park, invited Stephanie because he had read her book, An Ocean Between: 100% American-100% Ukrainian , and thought she would be suitable. Indeed, the speech was well received. In her speech, Stephanie told the story of how her parents had come to Boston, MA, before WWI and of the difficulties they faced in learning English and becoming citizens. Yet, in spite of their difficulties, they were grateful for the privi- leges of living here. She recounted how her father, Elias Chopek, told his two daughters, Anna and Stephanie, that they should be proud 100% Amer- icans and, at the same time, be proud 100% Ukrainians because in the United States they could freely practice their customs, culture, and religion. They could take part in all the local activ- ities of the Ukrainian community, make beautiful Easter eggs, embroider the ancient patterns, sing in both church and folk choirs, perform exciting Ukrainian dances, and carry on meaningful Ukrainian traditions. None of this was possible for their families under Soviet Russia. And in- deed, both sisters did live comfortably and happi- ly in their two worlds. Stephanie told the new citi- zens that they too could maintain their own unique culture and customs here, to whatever de- gree they wished. After the ceremony, Stephanie and the four Ukrainian participants in the naturalization ceremony had a lively conversation and enjoyed meeting each other. Stephanie Chopek Sydoriak was the wife of the late Dr. Stephen Sydoriak and the mother of six children. She stud- ied physics at Northeastern University and did graduate work at Yale University. The Sydoriak family moved to Los Alamos in 1948. Mrs. Sydoriak worked for the Los Alamos National Laboratory as a translator of scientific papers in Slavic languages, German, and French. Later, she spent thirty years as a piano teacher and served as President of the New Mexico State Piano Teachers Association. She was Liturgy Chairman and Choir Director at the local Catholic church, where she introduced the Easter Saturday blessing of the baskets. Her choir enjoyed singing various pieces of Ukrainian church music, which she translated. She taught the making of Ukrainian eggs in the local schools and clubs. In recognition of her service to Los Alamos, she was named a Los Alamos Living Treasure of 2011. Stephanie Sydoriak is also a member of the UNWLA. Mrs. Sydoriak is the author of a book of poetry, Inside Passage , as well as of a family memoir, An Ocean Between: 100% American-100% Ukrainian . Four of her poems were chosen by composer Craig Russell and set to a choral piece called “Seasonal Dances.” The premiere took place in Santa Fe in 2004. ДО УВАГИ МИСТЦІВ І ШАНУВАЛЬНИКІВ МИСТЕЦТВА! Редакція журналу приймає фотографії доброї резолюції (у форматі JPG) з праць мистців українського походження, котрі будь-коли малювали або виставляли свої праці в США, для розміщення на обкладинці «Нашого Життя». Просимо надсилати Ваші пропозиції та фото електронною поштою до редакції «Нашого Життя» ( unwlaourlife@gmail.com ) та до нашого мистецького координатора Софії Геврик (shewryk@gmail.com).
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