Abuelita From El Salvador Surprises Girl At Graduation

A first-gen grad whose grandmother lives in El Salvador was left crying tears of joy when she spotted her in the crowd and realized she had traveled to the U.S. to proudly watch her graduate. Valeria Araujo, a first-gen college student graduating from Mills College at Northeastern in Oakland, California, rarely gets to see grandma Reyna Araujo, 72, after she moved back to her home country. The pair are extremely close; Valeria’s parents had her in their early 20s and needed to work, so Reyna played a huge role in her childhood helping raise her and living together right up until Valeria went to college, the same year Reyna moved back to El Salvador. She said her grandma is the reason for her senior thesis, her published poem in the school's literary work, and many more projects related to her studies throughout the duration of her undergrad. Ahead of her graduation on April 30, with a bachelors in Sociology, she was told her aunt and cousin would be traveling from Los Angeles – but little did she know it was actually her grandma on her way. As she walked through the crowds of family and friends celebrating loved one’s achievements, she spotted her grandmother and immediately broke down in tears on her way to the stage, before returning to give her a long-awaited-hug.

Keywords