LOS ANGELES (AP) — In nearly a century since her Iranian birth, Khatoun Khoykani has lived through revolutions and world wars.
Now, 15 years after moving to the United States, the 99-year-old can add to the list the unlikely experience of becoming a U.S. citizen.
Khoykani joined about 3,700 other people on Friday for a naturalization ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
"I'm so excited, I can't even think," Khoykani said in Farsi.
The moment marked a rare achievement as Khoykani became the oldest person this year to join the small group of naturalized citizens in the Los Angeles area who are over 95, said Claire Nicholson, who represents the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Los Angeles.