Vana Ebrahimi and her brother are both 2020 graduates. They’re on their way to having the dream jobs that every parent dreams of – a doctor and a lawyer!
They both studied at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Vana at the law school, and her brother at medical school.
Graduating from post-secondary is cause for anyone to celebrate, but as they’re both first-generation college students, the accomplishment is particularly significant to their entire family.
Everyone is so proud!
But unfortunately, just like millions of other Americans, both of their commencement ceremonies were canceled this year due to the COVID crisis.
And what’s more, Vana’s beloved grandpa, Hayrik, was going to be there on their graduation days. He came to the United States from war-torn Iran in 1989, without any money or even being able to speak English.
He and his wife worked incredibly hard and made sacrifices so they could pave the way for their children and grandchildren.
He has been waiting for years to watch his grandkids grow up to achieve the American dream.
He’s getting older, and had an unfortunate accident where he fell and broke his hip and leg. He went to the hospital and stayed there for a month before being transferred to the nursing home where he lives now.
The pandemic hit shortly after he was moved to the nursing home, so he hasn’t been able to visit with his family. Before that they were visiting daily, so they feel particularly far away from him at the moment.
The entire facility is on lockdown to protect the residents, who are generally at higher risk.
“For us to be able to not just go to college, but also get a graduate degree … it was like the struggle of coming here and escaping war and doing all that was worth it,” Vana told KTLA.
Vana and her brother really wanted to share their accomplishment with their 86-year-old granddad, and to thank him for giving them the life they have today. So instead of foregoing their graduation ceremony entirely, they decided to make it their own.
Hayrik was going about his usual day, having yet another quiet afternoon on lockdown. He had no idea what was coming his way!
Then, to his surprise, Vana and her brother appeared at his window, wearing their caps and gowns. They couldn’t go inside, so they kept a safe social-distance outside, communicating with him through the glass windows.
Stunned, and sitting in his wheelchair looking back out at them, Hayrik was overwhelmed with emotion.
He had a grin from ear to ear, and then broke down in tears.
Being in isolation has been hard on everyone, but being away from your family for such an important mile stone has to be tough. It’s beautiful that they decided to bring their ceremony to him!
Vana captured the entire exchange on Tik Tok and shared it with her followers. It quickly went viral – the world needs good news now more than ever!
“My grandpa has been a very important role model in my life. It was very important for us to celebrate with him. Little did I know posting that video on TikTok would go viral overnight.” – Vana Ebrahimi
Watch the video below for their full social-distance visit.
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