Close Ad

Little kid wearing graduation robes walking down the aisle of a flight and a little kid with two pilots.

Frontier Airline Passengers Hold Grad After Kid Misses His

Courtesy of Janeiry Rivas (via CBS News)
Uplifting News

5-Year-Old Misses Kindergarten Graduation - So An Entire Flight Celebrates Him

These passengers proved that no milestone should go unrecognized.

Graduations are a big deal because they celebrate your achievements, dedication, and hard work. That’s true whether you’re talking about a high school graduation, a college graduation, or even a kindergarten graduation. Having to miss one can be devastating, especially if you are looking forward to it.


Missing His Graduation

@alldayloveme

Kindergarten graduation on Frontier Airlines! Lets all congratulate him! #kindergarten #graduation #frontierairlines #fypage #flightattendant

A five-year-old named Xavier was excited about his kindergarten graduation this year. However, Xavier and his mom were flying from Florida to Puerto Rico to visit family on the big day, and he had to miss it. He was bummed, but the airline they were flying was ready to celebrate him instead.

In a video posted to TikTok that has since gone viral, Frontier Airlines makes an announcement to the passengers explaining Xavier’s situation. Xavier had filled some of them in on his circumstances, and they decided to do something special for him 30 minutes before landing.

“He is missing his graduation, his kindergarten graduation today,” the flight attendant says. “And because he chose to fly Frontier instead, we are giving him his graduation ceremony on this flight.”

The passengers then all look toward the back of the plane, where Xavier is dressed in a red cap and gown. Pomp and Circumstance plays over the PA system as he walks down the aisle to the applause of the passengers. Some even give him high-fives on the way down.

A Lasting Memory

In the video, the kid grins, and you can tell he’s excited and feels special. It was a proud moment for his mom, Janeiry Rivas, who follows him in the video with her phone.

"He was just beyond excited, like his face lit up," Rivas, told Good Morning America. "He was super, super excited, getting high fives from people and getting cheered on.”

According to Rivas, Xavier had to miss the graduation because she was the maid of honor at her cousin’s wedding. When she originally agreed, she didn’t know the ceremony would be that day, and as a single mom, she felt conflicted about missing it.

“I was distraught, I was crying, I felt like I was going to scar him for life, that he was going to need therapy,” she added to the outlet. “As a parent you live with the guilt, no matter what you do, you worry about how it affects it.”

Celebrating the Moments

After everyone celebrated Xavier, Rivas says she no longer felt guilty. She added that people tend to get on the internet and judge others, but at the end of the day, people don’t always know the whole situation or story.

“Just be kind, any opportunity that you get because you never know what a person is going through,” she added.

It’s an excellent reminder for all of us to lead with kindness in our own lives and to remember to celebrate the small moments. These flight attendants didn’t have to do what they did for this boy, but in doing so, they brightened his day and the day of a mom dealing with parental guilt.

If they can do it, we can also lead with kindness and celebrate others in life. After all, these little moments can make a big difference, and that alone is always worth celebrating.

Hot Stories

Why Jennifer Hudson Forgave Her Mother's Killer -- Life Stories By Goalcast

At the peak of her career, Jennifer Hudson faced a horrific family tragedy. Hudson's mother and brother were brutally attacked in their family home, and her seven-year-old nephew was kidnapped. What followed was a heart-wrenching manhunt to rescue her nephew and seek justice against the man who took her family. Hudson speaks from the heart in this video on what happened to her family and how she was able to move forward.

Celebrities
People smiling in unison united
Racism Quotes

Racism is considered the marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges another race. The term is applied in many areas of a society that perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race or strengthen racial inequalities in education, health care, income, and civil rights.

Ever since the 20th century, the concept of biological race is considered a cultural invention that has no scientific basis. The progress over the past half-century has been impressive, but the nation still has a long way to go to reach true racial equality.

Keep ReadingShow less
Everyday Heroes
hands are put together as part of community volunteer efforts
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

A community is so much more than people sharing a space. It's a living, breathing network of connections and shared experiences. While it's usually defined as “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common,” true community runs much deeper than that.

Diversity

Keep ReadingShow less
Quotes