Graduation time in Harford County brings out many heartwarming stories of perseverance and personal accomplishments.
One such story this year, however, was a group effort that took place leading up to Saturday's graduation of the Class of 2016 at The John Carroll School in Bel Air.
One of the graduating seniors, Mike Tertsea, who is from Nigeria, hadn't seen his mother since coming to the United States four years earlier to begin his studies at John Carroll.
Thanks to the fundraising efforts of his classmates, bolstered by donations from faculty members, Felicia Ikpum, Mike's mother, was able to spend graduation week with her son and see him receive his diploma.
Ikpum arrived on May 20, but it wasn't until the traditional baccalaureate ceremony and Mass last Wednesday night that Mike found out exactly how the money was raised for his mother's trip and accommodations.
John Carroll Principal Madelyn Ball, who is retiring at the end of this school year, explained that a student had asked if Mike's mother would be able to come to his graduation. As reported by Aegis staff member David Anderson, Ball said: "Everyone was concerned because, you see, Mike has not been home for four years."
The principal went on to explain how the senior class was able to raise $1,763 for his mom's trip. When "there were some issues once the flight was booked," because the class was about $500 short, class co-advisor Carrie Siemsen raised the remaining money within a few hours by emailing faculty and staff.
Ikpum, 56, said when she saw her son, "I screamed, I shouted." "I was so excited," she said about seeing him after four years, noting they had only spoken by phone during his time in Bel Air.
Kishan Patel, student government president, said organizing the senior class "was not really difficult because there were so many people willing to help. It was a joy to do this."
The John Carroll community is to be commended for coming together and making this year's graduation a very special one, not just for Mike Tertsea and Felicia Ikpum, but for everyone in the Class of 2016 and the school.
Mike Tertsea will move on next year to the University of Rhode Island, where he has earned a basketball scholarship. We suspect he'll not stop thinking about his four years at John Carroll, as he goes through college and the rest of his life.
It truly is a joy to see what everyone at John Carroll did to make Mike's graduation week all that more special.