USM Senior Celebrates American Citizenship

Ege Sasmaz ’25 was in physics class earlier this year when he got the text that changed his life. “My dad sent me a link to a letter saying that my American citizenship had been granted, along with a date for when I needed to take my oath of allegiance,” said the University School of Milwaukee senior. “I was shocked,” he said. “I was so happy.”

Born in Turkey, Sasmaz moved to the United States in 2023 to live with his father, who had obtained his citizenship several years prior, along with his stepmother, and sister, Berrak Sasmaz ’35. 

The process of acquiring citizenship was a lengthy and complicated one, but it ended happily for Sasmaz on Tuesday, Sept. 25, when he took his oath of allegiance at the United States courthouse in Milwaukee. “There was an office with a few small rooms, and about 20 of us with our families were there,” he said. “They handed us our paperwork, and then we all stood up and raised our right hands and recited the oath.”

Sasmaz has been a student at USM since the fall of 2023, and he wasted no time in becoming part of the community through various clubs, activities, and sports. The Upper School celebrated his citizenship with a cake and impromptu rendition of the national anthem on Thursday, Sept. 26 in the College Guidance office. 

It’s taken some time for Sasmaz’s newly minted status to sink in, but preliminary reports are positive. “It feels amazing,” he said.