When Jerich Marco Alcantara and his family boarded the E train in New York, they were full of excitement for his pending graduation from Hunter College later that morning.
Set to arrive at the school at 9:15 a.m., the family was ready for a day of celebration, that is, until the subway train came to a grinding halt in a matter of minutes after they boarded.
When it became clear that the unfortunate grad student was not going to make the ceremony on time, the other passengers in the same crowded subway car decided to give him an improvised ceremony right there underground. One person played ceremonial procession music on his phone, while another brought up the image of a diploma on his phone and presented Jerich with it. The nursing student took it all in stride and thanked everyone for their thoughtfulness.
After sitting still on the subway for three hours, the entire graduation ceremony at Hunter College had ended by the time Jerich and his family arrived. Even so, his friends got a great laugh from his ceremony on the subway and provided him with their own, for two graduation ceremonies in one day.
