Cleveland Kidnapping Victims: Amanda Berry & Gina DeJesus Get The High School Graduation They Deserve [VIDEO]
Two victims from the Cleveland kidnapping received a special honor that they didn't get to experience when they were younger.
Amanda Berry & Gina DeJesus Open Up On Ariel Castro's Suicide
Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were teenagers when Ariel Castro held them hostage in a suburban house before they found their freedom after approximately a decade. The girls missed out on a number of important events in their lives, one of them being their high school graduation.
It was reported on Wednesday from Cleveland.com that Berry and DeJesus were granted the graduation ceremony that they should've had if it wasn't for the abduction. The girls were given honorary diplomas from John Marshall High School, the same place where Berry attended and where DeJesus would've attended when she started high school.
Watch Behind-The-Scenes Clip For Michelle Knight's Music Video
The young women put on white caps and gowns, and took photos with their diplomas to celebrate their achievements.
"It was awesome," Berry said after the event. "I always wanted to grow up and be somebody and do something with my life, you know? I always planned to graduate, and my mom always wanted that for me, to see me cross the stage. So this means everything to me."
Berry, DeJesus and Michelle Knight (the third of Castro's victims) have been getting their lives back on track following the escape from unspeakable amounts of torture. This includes abuse, rape and being chained up in a bedroom before the miraculous day of their freedom. Lifetime made a film called Cleveland Abduction based on the incident.
