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US not united by blood or birth or soil, says Cornell Provost Kavita Bala
Bala delivered a keynote address at a naturalization ceremony which welcomed 20 new citizens from 12 countries.
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Pranavi Sharma - Wed, 06, Aug 2025
- 02:49 EDT
- 46
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Provost Kavita Bala delivers the keynote speech at the ceremony, where 20 people, including members of the Cornell community, were granted U.S. citizenship. / Ryan Young/Cornell University
Mumbai-born Kavita Bala, provost of Cornell University, told new U.S. citizens that the country’s strength lies not in shared ancestry or geography, but in shared ideals. She was speaking at a naturalization ceremony held at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine on July 23, where 20 people from 12 countries including Cornell faculty and staff were granted U.S. citizenship.
“Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil,” Bala said, quoting a letter she received from President George W. Bush after her own naturalization in 2004. “We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens.”
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