With tears streaming down her cheeks, Liudmila Efimova (Mila to her friends) tightly held a small American flag and a document certifying her citizenship. Her husband, former Park County Sheriff’s Deputy Chris Ivanoff, embraced her as her beautiful smile seemed somewhat out of place as she wept.

She wasn’t alone. All around her tears of joy were flowing at Arch Park on the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park after U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick administered the Oath of Citizenship to 53 newly naturalized citizens from 24 countries. The new citizens are all residents of Idaho, Wyoming and Montana communities surrounding the park — including three from Park County, Wyoming.

Efimova’s eventual move to America started nearly a quarter-century ago when Ivanoff made friends with Sergei Ginzberg, a Russian exchange student attending Northwest College. While at the school Ginzberg took taekwondo with Ivanoff and they made fast friends.

When Ginzberg graduated he headed home, but the two friends kept in touch. Nine years later he extended an invitation.

Heading to Russia

“Hey, you want to come over to Russia?” Ivanoff said of Ginzberg’s invitation. “I said, ‘No way.’” 

Ivanoff was intimidated to be that far away “from Wyoming and everything.”

“It scared me,” he said. 

A month later he decided to accept the invitation. Little did he know where it would lead.

“I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ You know, it’s a once in a lifetime kind of trip,” he said. 

He loved the trip so much he ended up going two more times. Efimova came into his life on his trips.

“I think people assume we met on the internet — you know, that kind of thing. But we didn’t. We met by chance, really,” he said. “It’s a fluke that I met someone 5,500 miles away. I had no intention of ever marrying again.”

The proposal

Ivanoff was taken by her smile at first, but then he got to know her and was drawn in by her confidence, intelligence and positive outlook. Yet, despite the attraction, Efimova was hesitant.

“She doesn’t rush into things. She’s very calculated,” Ivanoff said.

He proposed marriage while they were dining at Chico Hot Springs Resort near Pray, Montana and married in Red Lodge soon after.

Efimova was no stranger to America. She received her doctorate in economics and had a scholarship at Syracuse University in New York in the late 90s — one of but a handful of Russian women studying in America at the time. Efimova then taught economics all over Europe and was a university professor in Russia.

Her dream was to have democracy in Russia, not to move to America to realize the dream, leaving behind a lifetime of friends and family.  

She was reluctant to leave Russia and it took some convincing to get her to Powell. But with the state of communications today, she is able to keep up with everyone by phone and Skype. She would love to visit, but is unable to travel to her former home due to the war in Russia and the possibility she would be taken hostage by the government now that she is an American citizen.

“A lot of people take freedom for granted. But when you go to another country that’s under dictatorship, you don’t have the First Amendment, you don’t have any of the amendments. And for her, it’s really special,” Ivanoff said.

Since arriving, Liudmila’s daughter, Paulina, has moved to America and will soon graduate from Penn State University. 

The ceremony

Since 2006, hundreds of special naturalization ceremonies have been held at many of the 431 places safeguarded by NPS across the country. The USCIS and National Park Service partnership promotes citizenship and naturalization by holding ceremonies at national parks and historic federal landmarks that best represent the strength and spirit of the United States. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick administered the Oath of Allegiance during the ceremony in Yellowstone National Park.

Mike Tranel, the deputy superintendent of Yellowstone National Park welcomed the new citizens to the park. Each new citizen is now a part owner of the National Park System, he said while giving a brief history of the NPS.

“So that you remember you have a symbol of what you inherit today, you become part owners of this wonderful national park system that helps unite us as a country,” he said. “Each of you will have your your own stories to share. And the beauty of those is that we come together and make a stronger nation.”

After administering the oath, which has been used for the past 225 years and retains the exact same wording as the original text, Judge Hambrick encouraged the 53 new citizens to accept their duty to be a patriot.

“You don’t have to be rich or famous to be a patriot and to pursue the American dream. More importantly, you can do what you are already doing, being good neighbors, co-workers, family members, friends and active members of your communities, and you can be a patriot by continuing to fulfill these roles. You can be a patriot by taking care of one another, by promoting equality and social justice, by exercising your voice with your right to vote at all levels of your government,” she said.

In 2023, the USCIS welcomed 878,500 new U.S. citizens. So far in 2024, USCIS has welcomed 589,400 new citizens and made significant progress in reducing our naturalization pending queues. Those naturalized in Yellowstone last week are former residents from Brazil, Burma, Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Slovakia, Thailand, United Kingdom, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Two other Park County residents became citizens at the ceremony. Twenty six of the 53 are Wyoming residents. The names of those naturalized were not available from the USCIS, to protect their privacy, said Linda Veress, Yellowstone National Park spokesperson.

Efimova has already developed a thriving online accounting firm and, since arriving, has been a substitute teacher at Powell High School.

“The kids are wonderful and well behaved,” she said. “They work very hard.”

The students have called her “the Russian Lady” since she started at Powell High. She has not shared the news of her naturalization with students and staff, but now they might want to update the nickname the “the American Lady.”

“We are all Americans here now,” she said.

“I’m so proud of her,” Ivanoff said while holding his bride on the hot, sunny day.