Miroslav Lovric is a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New York. Today, he leads naturalization ceremonies to grant people citizenship but not many realize that he was an immigrant himself. Miroslav grew up in a part of Yugoslavia now known as Croatia on a farm where his family grew almost all of the food that they would eat. They had cows that were milked for cheese, chickens for eggs, and grapes for wine. On this farm, Miroslav lived with his extended family as it was necessary for survival. His parents did not go past elementary school, though they always imprinted the idea that education was the “way out” of a life in poverty. When Miroslav turned five, his family along with another left the country so his dad could work as a mason in Pula, Italy. The women and children obtained visas to Italy while the fathers had to jump the border. From there, his family applied to immigrate to the United States, attaching the photo of Miroslav holding a sign containing his information. He had to learn English in American schools at six years old, forcing him to work twice as hard to keep up with his peers. Despite immigrating at a young age, Miroslav feels a strong connection to his Croatian heritage as his family always cooked Croatian food and celebrated Croatian holidays when he was growing up. Later, he worked for the United States Justice System for over two decades before being sworn in as a Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of New York on July 1st, 2019.

– Told by Miroslav Lovric, Written by Aidan Caulfield and Jake Zacharakis

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant