EVANS, Ga. () – Millions across America are celebrating independence but one local woman is celebrating her first 4th of July as an American citizen.

Stefanie Ray is originally from Germany and has been on a green card for the past 8 years while living in the United States and was able to get her dual citizenship.

“It means a lot to me being with my friends and my family because it’s still to me the land of opportunities,” said Ray.

Ray’s long-time neighbor, Teresa Lee, was thrilled to hear the news about Ray’s dual citizenship and knew she had to throw a party.

“I was tickled to do it; I wanted to do it as a surprise for her because she did it the right way, this is her first 4th of July as a U.S. citizen, I wanted it to be something special for her,” Lee said.

Ray tells me her two daughters are also dual citizens in Germany and the U.S. and says she felt like she wanted to be fully a part of her community.

“As a resident, as an American it means a lot. I love living here, I love the life I’ve created for myself and for my family, we found the right spot right away and I’m really grateful for that,” Ray said.

She says she loves all of the 4th of July traditions but especially how proud everyone is to celebrate their country.

 “I love how extra we are here, as Germans can be sometimes a little bit too uptight, we don’t do that here. I love the red, white and blue, I love the gathering, hanging out at the pool, hanging out with the neighbors, the hotdogs, the fireworks, all that. Maybe I’ve always been a little too extra to be 100% German, maybe I had to be half and half,” Ray said.

Lee says, “We love it, everyone have a happy 4th of July.”  

Ray says she is looking forward to celebrating many more Independence Days with her friends and family.