It was his request to join 31 other new Canadians who officially became citizens Tuesday at a ceremony in front of city hall.

"It was awesome," said Vashisnth, who came to Canada from India in 2000 to study at Niagara College. "It's a very proud moment to become a Canadian on Canada Day."

Though he was beaming with pride over being an official citizen of Canada, doing so was not his initial intention when he was an international visitor studying taking tourism and human resources.

"I came here to study and go back, but I fell in love with the place," he said, explaining he became a landed immigrant in 2004 and took a job at Niagara College working as an international student recruiter. "I love everything about Canada and the Niagara region. I think I'll live here all my life."

For the rest of Tuesday, though, it was time to celebrate, and after the ceremony in St. Catharines Vashisnth and his parents, visiting from India, threw a party with 300 of his closest friends.

Vashisnth's celebratory spirit would have been met with approval by presiding citizenship judge Robert Morrow, who reminded those in attendance that though the ceremony was technically a federal court proceeding with traditions to be respected, it needn't be too formal.

"It's a party," he said. "It's a celebration and it's time to enjoy ourselves."

Morrow, who has led the special Canada Day ceremony since it was first launched eight years ago by the Mayor's Committee on Community and Race Relations, remarked how it's a perfect way to kick off the country's birthday.

He noted that one characteristic of the country that makes it great is the diversity of people it attracts.

That was certainly evident at Tuesday's ceremony which bestowed citizenship on immigrants from all over the world -- from as near as the United States, to countries as far as China, Rwanda and Turkey. In all, 17 different countries were represented.

However, though a diverse group, the sworn-in citizens all had one important thing in common, noted St. Catharines MPP Jim Bradley, one of three elected officials at the ceremony along with MP Rick Dykstra and deputy mayor Peter Secord.

Unlike those of us born here, they made a choice to build a new life in Canada.

"You have chosen this country and we're delighted you have done so," he said.