Skip to main content
Clear icon
57º

‘Everything is possible:’ 24 become US citizens at Orlando FusionFest

FusionFest takes place Saturday, Sunday at Dr. Phillips Center

ORLANDO, Fla. – Twenty-four people’s lives changed forever on Saturday when they became U.S. citizens at the FusionFest in downtown Orlando.

The citizenship candidates come from 15 countries: The Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, India, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

One of the citizenship candidates, Rogrio Tutti came to the United States from Brazil in 2016.

“Now to officially be American is really happy, is a feeling of joy — you know, achievement — and it’s nice,” Tutti said.

[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]

Tutti, a concert pianist, came to America for his education and began to develop a career here.

He said he decided to stay because his daughters and family started to love this country.

“As time goes, we start to join what the community is about,” Tutti said. “We want to help the community and improve and I see now even the political debates, I said, ‘I want to be part of it.’ I wanted to vote, I wanted to get together — we developed a love for the country.”

Andre Quatela, also from Brazil, said he’s been here for 15 years.

He said when was 17, he thought the idea of becoming a U.S. Citizen was impossible.

“I remember my first year here in the United States in 2005, a solider sit next to me and then he came to me and said, ‘Hey, do you want to become a U.S. citizen? You wanna join the Army?” Quatela said. “And I looked at him and I say, you know, ‘It’s impossible.’ I was a 17-year-old boy, I look at him like, ‘It’s impossible, I’m Brazilian, it’s not possible,’ and he laughed and said ‘Everything is possible.’”

Everything is possible, a message Quatela carried with him for years.

“Now I’m 36 years old, I’m a citizen and I made that possible,” Quatela said.

United States Senior District Judge Roy Dalton Jr. presided the Naturalization Ceremony and administered the Oath of Allegiance.

Orlando’s FusionFest takes place on Saturday and Sunday at the Seneff Arts Plaza. Saturday’s events run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday’s events will run from 12 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.


Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: