Army Reserve Captain Gives His Daughter The Best Graduation Surprise Ever

Prepare yourself for happy tears.

A student at Columbia's engineering school commencement ceremony was treated to an unexpected surprise immediately after walking across the stage Monday. Ruby Robinson’s father, Army Reserve Capt. Keith Robinson, greeted his daughter with flowers and a big hug.

When she first donned her cap and gown that day, Ruby was under the impression that her father would be unable to attend her graduation ceremony due to his deployment in Afghanistan. However, Robinson says he was given permission from his superiors to make a nearly 15-hour flight from Kuwait to Washington, D.C., followed by a flight to Denver and then one to New York, for the big moment.

“To have him here in the flesh means so much to me, I didn’t expect it at all, I didn’t think it was possible. So, I’m so happy about it. To have your parents at your graduation is a big thing,” Ruby says in the video. “I really didn’t expect him to be there. I was kind of upset about that but I knew he had other duties to do in Afghanistan, so when he came I was so excited.”