Students celebrate their cafeteria manager after she passes U.S. citizenship test

The kids at Deer Creek-Prairie Vale Elementary School in Edmond, Oklahoma, threw a star-spangled celebration last week for their cafeteria manager, Yanet Lopez, when she passed the U.S. citizenship test.

Lopez, her husband, and their three children came to the U.S. from Cuba in 2016, settling in Oklahoma after a stint in Houston. As a child, Lopez said, her "dream was [to] come to this great country," and she was thrilled when her entire family passed their citizenship tests. "I know everything about the United States," Lopez told KOCO. "Constitution, presidents, everything. It's amazing. I learned a lot of history because I love this country."

Lopez is a beloved member of her school's community, with the principal writing on Facebook that they are "so excited for Ms. Yanet and the realization of one of her dreams in passing her citizenship test! We laughed that she would know more than those of us born in the U.S. I am honored to work with one of the best U.S. citizens I know." To congratulate Lopez, students and staff members lined the hallways to cheer her on, giving Lopez hugs and chanting "USA!" It was "really, really exciting," Lopez said. Catherine Garcia

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