Dear Commons Community,

Graduation ceremonies are special events generally filled with greetings of congratulations as friends and family gather to hear speakers praise students for what they have accomplished and provide advice as they go out into the world.  This was true for most of Hunter College’s graduates during its ceremony last week except for nursing graduate Jerich Alcantara who was stuck underground during his commencement after the E train he was on stopped between stations due to a malfunction. After rescue trains arrived to remove passengers, the 22-year-old decided to make the most of the situation and stage a graduation with his friends, family and fellow passengers looking on. 

“The subway graduation began on our rescue train after I jokingly thanked everyone for coming to watch me graduate,” Alcantara told The Huffington Post.

 “I did it originally because everyone seemed restless. My friend, Bobby, and I then proceeded to play music and hold our own ceremony, to everyone’s amusement.”

The duo played Green Day’s “Time of Your Life” as Alcantara received a makeshift diploma his friend created on a phone. A video of the moment was shared online by passenger Nadiya Afzal and has since garnered more than 2 million views.  

Congratulations Jerich! 

Tony