HARTFORD — In need of a school that would provide daytime care for her son, Amarylis Aguilar transferred from Bulkeley High School to Hartford Public High School’s Academy of Engineering and Green Technology during her freshman year.
While she spoke Thursday night as vice president of the Class of 2014, tears streamed down Aguilar’s cheeks. She thanked Principal Michael Maziarz and her classmates for helping her complete high school.
“We are who we are today because of our past four years at AoEGT,” she said.
For Aguilar, who enrolled in multiple online classes in order to graduate a year early, the ceremony was bittersweet. She was missing her husband, a U.S. Marine who was away at training and told her he couldn’t make it to her graduation.
But after Aguilar received her diploma, her husband, Lance Corporal Kevin Cruz, surprised her onstage.
“I didn’t have my glasses on, so the only thing I was seeing was his dress blues, and I knew it was him, and I just wanted to run up to him and give him a hug,” she said.
It was an emotional moment for everyone on hand for the ceremony.