Local News

Texan With Character: Nikita Stefanovick

(CBS 11 News) Nikita Stefanovick will receive an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps in just a few weeks, but it is the honor he received this week that won't soon be forgotten.

For the past four years Stefanovick has served our country as a Canadian citizen.

"Wow! It was a great feeling probably; one of the most memorable moments of my life just because I have put my time in to do what I could for the country and now after all of my hard work, they were rewarding me for what I have done," he beamed.

Stefanovick and his family moved from Calgary Alberta to Texas when he was 9 years old.

"My dad got a work visa and we all moved down here to start our lives in Texas."

In 2001, a life changing event for all Americans led Stefanovick to the Marines.

"I remember going into school on Sept. 11. I was a sophomore and I knew at that moment there had to be something I could do. All those firefighters and cops who risked their lives to save all of those people there was something I could do to do my end," he recalled.

The fact that he was a Canadian never crossed Stefanovick's mind.

"Everyone thought I was pretty crazy … that I was from Canada and I was doing my part to make sure everyone is free."

This week, Stefanovick took another step for the country he's called home since he was a boy.

"To stand up there … and take the oath … become a U.S. citizen. We were very proud of him," his mother Tayanna Patrick said. "It was a great moment and to see him be proud of himself for what he did and what he has achieved."

Nikita plans to apply for the Plano Police Department now that he is a U.S. citizen.

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