Dad builds stage in his driveway to throw his daughter a graduation
BRADLEY, ILLINOIS - MAY 06: Makeya Butler waits to have her picture taken before receiving her diploma at a graduation ceremony at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School on May 06, 2020 in Bradley, Illinois. Because of social distancing mandates instituted by the state to curtail the spread of COVID-19, graduates received their diplomas in a nearly-empty auditorium with no friends, family or relatives allowed to attend. A video of the event will be streamed for others to view on the the school's scheduled graduation date of May 16. The school, located about 60 miles south of Chicago, has about 2,100 students, 523 were graduating. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The coronavirus has ruined a lot of our plans, including any and all graduations. But a Memphis, TN dad did not want to deprive his daughter from a proper graduation. Gabrielle Pierce had been crying for a week knowing she wouldn’t be able to walk in her graduation so Torrence Burson said he’d allow her to graduate at home.
“I went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night and said, ‘that’s it. I’m just going to be the graduation here, ” he said.
The graduation included a full stage, presenters, speakers, and neighbors watching in the street. In a statement, Pierce said, “I was just I awe. I was amazed. I couldn’t believe a lot of people showed up. People were driving by yelling congratulations”
A 29 year radio veteran, Melissa has made notable media appearances including serving as a judge and correspondent on the Emmy Award-winning TV show Community Auditions, Phantom Gourmet, Chronicle and many more. Additionally, Melissa won a Gracie Award in 2019 for her work as Co-Host of The GetUp Crew with Ramiro, Pebbles, Melissa & Leroy. She volunteered coaching cheerleading for 20 years. Melissa is a social influencer who creates videos promoting area businesses, movies, concerts and other lifestyle events.
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