Jerich Marco Alcantara and his girlfriend, Layla Batenga, had left two hours before the graduation ceremony he was scheduled to attend at Radio City Music Hall, but instead of getting to the ceremony on time, he was trapped with several other commuters on a stalled, crowded subway car for hours, causing him to miss his graduation.
But rather than leave the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing grad to sit through what should have been his graduation in misery, the commuters gathered together and threw an impromptu ceremony just for Alcantara.
In a video of the subway ceremony, someone queues up the music: “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” Alcantara, standing in the middle of the train wearing purple and yellow, is then presented with his diploma on a phone screen before his friend shakes his hand and Alcantara goes around hugging and celebrating with the other passengers.
“If you want a copy of my diploma, turn on your Airdrop,” he calls out to his fellow commuters, several of whom are recording the event.
Finally, after being trapped for hours in the subway car, the passengers were able to get out, and Alcantara was able to celebrate the rest of his graduation day in the open air, though it’s a ceremony he’s not likely to forget!
