But there was also the disappointment of knowing that someone important was missing from an irreplaceable occasion.
Graduation ceremonies happen at a particular moment.
The names are called once.
The diplomas are presented.
The applause fills the hall.
And then the ceremony ends.
Photographs and videos can preserve those memories, but they cannot completely replace the experience of being present.
Queency understood that her father would not be able to witness the moment in the way they had once imagined.
Still, she did not want him to feel forgotten.
An Unusual Graduation Visit
After her graduation, Queency and her mother went to the detention center where her father was being held.
Their intention was to share her achievement with him.
It was not an elaborate celebration.
They simply wanted him to see that she had completed
college and earned her honors.
But when they arrived, they encountered another obstacle.
Visitation was not allowed that day.
