“September 19, 2012 was a very happy day for me,” advised San Diego Job Corps staff member (and Job Corps graduate) Peter Lominit.  On that day, Peter joined more than 1,000 other new citizens from 89 countries at the naturalization ceremony given by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at Golden Hall in San Diego.

Originally from Uganda, all of Peter’s family was killed during the 1999 Uganda Civil War.  Peter, who was 14 years old at the time, fled with his friends to Kenya.  After walking for nearly four months and over a thousand miles, they arrived at the United Nation’s Kakuma Refugee Camp in Northwestern Kenya. 

In 2007, after seven years working and living at the camp with 90,000 other refugees, he was able to resettle to San Diego.  Shortly afterward, he enrolled at the San Diego Job Corps Center, obtained his high school diploma, completed the center’s Plumbing Career Technical Training program, and graduated from Job Corps.  A short time later, he was hired by Job Corps as the Shipping and Receiving Clerk, and is currently a Maintenance Technician.

“Since I arrived in San Diego one of my goals has been to become a U.S. Citizen,” Peter stated.  “I became a Permanent Resident and during the five years of residency required for citizenship, I took classes in American history and government.  With what I learned, and the help and prayers of my friends and co-workers at Job Corps, I was able to pass the citizenship test.”

“I plan on obtaining a college degree in Electrical Engineering while I am working at Job Corps,” Peter advised, “and later help my friends who still live in the Kenyan refugee camp.”  He continued that his belief and faith in God has led him throughout his life.  “God answers prayers, but sometimes in a different way than we expect. Everything can happen through God’s will,” he added.