Superintendent Flies To Guatemala To Give Student Deported Before Graduation His High School Diploma
AN stockphotography | Shutterstock In Nassau County, New York, Roosevelt Schools Superintendent Dr. Shawn Wightman set out to Guatemala after a senior at Roosevelt High School was deported by ICE right before his high school graduation.
Alvaro Velasquez was only weeks away from his graduation when he was randomly detained by ICE in May 2025. His milestone moment of walking across the stage and celebrating with his friends was taken from him. Wightman decided to take matters into his own hands and ensure that the recent high school graduate would still be able to obtain his diploma.
A NY superintendent flew to Guatemala to deliver a deported student his high school diploma.
Mere weeks before his graduation, Alvaro Castro Velasquez was detained by ICE during a random encounter. The 18-year-old had come to the United States alone at 16 from Guatemala because his mother had died, and his father was not in the picture. His high school teachers said he appreciated every moment he had, perhaps more than most.
"He was so wonderful. He was the student that every teacher would dream to have," said Roosevelt High School social studies teacher Jessica Harrison, in an interview with ABC7. However, just weeks before the ceremony, Velasquez was randomly detained by ICE, and despite having no criminal record, was sent to a detention center in Texas.
At a virtual hearing from the detention center, Velasquez agreed to self-deport rather than stay in the U.S. His school superintendent, Wightman, had traveled to Texas over the summer to visit Velasquez at his own personal expense.
After traveling to the ICE detention center to see his student, the superintendent wasn't permitted to give him his diploma.
"That is an important day in the life of a student or a child, and he didn't get that opportunity," Dr. Wightman said. When asked if Velasquez's story haunted Wightman, he said, "Yeah. It's very difficult as a superintendent, a father, to think about if something like that were to have happened to any of my kids."
Wightman continued, "He wasn't a hardened criminal or anything like that, didn't have any type of record. That was the moment when everybody realized that this is a real thing." After refusing to give up, Wightman took two plane rides and a five-and-a-half-hour car trip through the foothills of Guatemala, where he was finally reunited with Velasquez and his family.
"This is amazing for me. He helped me. And he supported me, for all this time," Velasquez said. Since Velasquez was detained, three other students at Roosevelt have also had their lives effectively changed forever by ICE. One was detained, another is likely to be deported, and a third, whose father was detained, now has to work to support the family.
The superintendent was able to celebrate the deported student's milestone, which is more important than most people realize.
F Armstrong Photography | Shutterstock
As of February 2026, ICE has held 68,289 people in detention. Of the people held, 50,259 have no criminal convictions. As of November 2025, 14.3 people were deported directly from detention for every one person released from ICE detention pending a hearing.
High school graduation is an important moment for teens. As Associate Professor of Psychology and Clinical Director, Regional Assessment & Resource Centre, Queen's University, Allyson G. Harrison, noted, "developmental milestones help young adults mark their progress as they transition from child to adult." When milestones are taken away from young people about to embark on their next step, it can leave them stunted, which is why Harrison stressed that important people in their lives need to "honor their achievements," even if they can't be fulfilled in the traditional sense.
That's exactly what Wightman did. He honored Velasquez's achievement by hand-delivering his diploma. He reminded him that no matter where he is in the world, there are good people in his corner ready to cheer him on.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
