EDINBURG — December is a time for holiday cheer, wonder and surprises, all of which were on full display here at the Bert Ogden Arena on Sunday with South Texas College students celebrating their graduation; though one graduate had a bigger surprise than she anticipated.
The venue held three separate ceremonies that day with 2,849 graduates accepting their diplomas and celebrating with their families. Among the last wave of graduates was 23-year-old Janeth Castillo, who was accepting her Associate of Science in Biology degree.
She sat at the edge of the first row with a “Sailor Moon” inspired cap she designed, which read, “In the name of the moon, I graduate,” a play on one of the heroine’s catchphrases, unknowingly that her husband of three years was in the same building as her.
“[My mother-in-law and I] had been talking back and forth about having a surprise for my wife’s graduation because I am going back on deployment soon, so I won’t be back for another six to eight months and I wanted to do something nice for her before I leave,” Marine Cpl. Christopher Castillo said in a news release. “At first I wanted to surprise her in the crowd, but South Texas College helped me arrange this instead.”
Castillo will be deployed to Korea for a tour with the possibility of it being extended, depending on the conditions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The 23-year-old sat patiently in a green room backstage in his dress blues, flowers in hand, anticipating the big moment.
Janeth says the two met when they were both students at Donna High School. She was a sophomore while he was a freshman, though their birthdays are only a few months apart.
“We were just friends at first, we would talk here and there, send each other memes through messenger,” Castillo said. “But then, it was my senior year and his junior year, we decided to go to prom together as friends and we found out that we actually had feelings for each other.
“Now we’re married after being in a relationship for two years.”
The couple wedded in August 2019 and currently do their best to remain in contact with each other either through phone calls or by video since the husband is stationed in Oceanside, California.
Janeth said she was originally going to move to California with him but Christopher said since she was close to graduating, it would be best if she stayed behind to finish school.
Once the opening speeches were finished, the first row of graduates stood up in anticipation to receive their diplomas, which were being handed out by STC President Ricardo J. Solis.
Janeth was the first to go up on stage to receive hers, a planned move coordinated by STC to help Castillo fulfill his wish of surprising his wife.
Solis turned Janeth’s attention to the large screen behind the stage which displayed a photo of Christopher with a special message congratulating her on her accomplishment, but then the screen switched to a video stream coming from inside the arena.
An eruption of applause reverberated throughout the venue as the audience cheered when the screen displayed Castillo walking down the main aisle toward the stage with a bouquet of flowers in hand.
Janeth was visibly nervous and fighting back tears as her husband approached her and handed her the bouquet. The arena fell silent as if to give them a moment to speak to each other without difficulty before erupting once more when she finally hugged him.
“I feel really happy,” Castillo giggled. “I tried not to cry because I haven’t seen him since August and I thought he wasn’t going to come but it’s a really good surprise.”
Castillo plans a much-earned rest before transferring to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where she will continue her education. She credits her mother, husband and friend for being her support system throughout the years.
