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Family and friends celebrate North Philly college graduate with drive-by parade
FOX 29's Shawnette Wilson reports on one local college graduate celebrated her accomplishment that meant so much more after her friend died.
NORTH PHILADELPHIA - A parade of cars for a 22-year-old North Philly young lady graduating with honors. Friends and family celebrating her on what was supposed to be her graduation day from Holy Family University. Micahya Gilliam says today is about more than graduation.
It's about fulfilling a promise she made for her friend Akyra Murray who is now an angel after losing her life in the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub shooting four years ago.
Akyra was a star basketball player at West Catholic Preparatory High along with Micahya and was set to attend Mercyhurst College on a full basketball scholarship.
"At first, I wasn't even trying to go to college. That was not even an opportunity but once my friend got killed it just felt like it was something I needed for her," said Micahya. It’s a promise she also made for family members she lost recently.
"I lost my grandparents during this process too and I recently lost my uncle in September which was hard to so I was like I gotta go hard. So finishing school was my goal especially with Dean's List and having a 3.5," said Micahya.
Family and friends drove by her Susquehanna Avenue home this evening dropping off gifts. She even got an unexpected shout out from Philadelphia Police at the end of the caravan as they drove by blaring sirens.
Her mom, Eboney Gilliam, was overjoyed.
"She's the first out of my mom's grandchildren to graduate with a BA and going to college. She's the first of her siblings to go to college. So I'm very proud of her," said Eboney. Micahya says as for graduation being postponed due to the coronavirus.
"I wanted to cry. But I was like as long as I finish that' all that matters. I got me a career job fresh out of college so I gotta look at the blessings more than anything,” said Micahya, who already has a job using her Psychology degree. She’ll be working as a social worker in a nursing home.
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