San Jose principal becomes US citizen in front of her...

In the crowded gymnasium of San Jose High School, beneath the painted bulldog mascot and vintage pennants touting volleyball and wrestling championships, principal Gloria Marchant turned and faced the American flag. She smiled and waited for her name to be called, and when it was time the gym erupted. People cheered, clapped and stomped their feet on the bleacher seats for the principal and new U.S. citizen.

“I don’t think I can hold back my tears,” said Marchant, speaking in front of more than 100 students, teachers, family and community members who had filed into the gymnasium for a naturalization ceremony. “Becoming an American citizen has been one of my goals since I decided to make a life here in San Jose.”

Marchant, 44, was born in Chile and came to the U.S. from Canada. On Tuesday, she stood alongside eight other immigrants as they took the Oath of Allegiance, sang the national anthem and officially became American citizens. Others who were naturalized in the small ceremony came from Mexico, India and the Philippines.

Though the ceremony was brief, each of the new citizens had a long journey to this point.

In her speech, Marchant recalled her eighth-grade graduation in Chile, and how her family sold everything to move to Canada.

“My first question was, ‘So when are we coming back?’” she said.

Marchant was devastated leaving her beachtown home for snowy Canada, where she lived for 11 years and learned English. But then she traveled to San Francisco and found herself wondering: What if I stayed here?

An advertisement for bilingual teaching jobs in the San Jose Unified School District caught her eye, and she decided to apply. The school sponsored her for a work visa, and so began her path to citizenship.

“Someone saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself,” Marchant said.

Abel Lopez, 90, was another of the eight people naturalized at Tuesday’s ceremony. His daughter, Maru Grant, came here from Mexico City in 1991 with her husband, who is from the States. Lopez, who speaks Spanish, followed in 2011, and he knew he wanted to stay.

Grant recalled her father saying, “Somebody told me that you can claim me.”

She set out to “help him get a green card,” and Lopez began studying extensively for his tests.

“He knew so much about the president and the vice president,” Grant said. “He was so disappointed when they didn’t ask him everything.”

The brief ceremony started with the soon-to-be-citizens taking the Oath of Allegiance, and San Jose High sophomore Nathan Luong belted out the national anthem along with the gleeful crowd. Fellow student Catherine Martinez then led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Teresa Castellanos, of the Santa Clara County Office of Immigrant Relations, noted how far the city and county have come in helping those on the path to citizenship.

“I remember when San Jose had the biggest backlog in the country, and the boxes of the backlog for citizenship were on the front page of the New York Times,” she said.

At the end of the ceremony, a video recording of President Trump came on to congratulate the new citizens. His face appeared on a screen and students hissed and booed, offering a reminder that the president’s divisive rhetoric on immigration can’t be forgotten even in times of celebration.

James Wyrough, field office director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, administered the Oath of Allegiance and said that ceremonies held in high schools are “always especially meaningful.”

But, he added, this was the first time he ever saw a principal naturalized in front of her students.

Robert Gamble, a junior at San Jose High, called Marchant a mentor and was overjoyed to see her become a citizen.

“I would not be where I am without her guidance,” Gamble said. “I wanted to come here to support her, because of all that she’s taught me.”

When officials approached Marchant about having the ceremony at San Jose High, the principal jumped at the chance. She said she wasn’t sure how many of her students are immigrants, but “it’s a large number.”

“Many of the students are on the path to citizenship themselves, and it’s a long journey,” Marchant said. “That makes this really meaningful.”

Sophie Haigney is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sophie.haigney@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SophieHaigney