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Brackenridge High School senior receives surprise visit before graduation ceremony

David Randy Castillo was set to walk on stage, but he had an unexpected visitor

A San Antonio high school student had the surprise of a lifetime before he walked the stage of his graduation ceremony. (San Antonio Independent School District)

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio high school student had the surprise of a lifetime before he walked onstage at his graduation ceremony.

David Randy Castillo, a senior at Brackenridge High School, was set to culminate his high school education with family and friends Tuesday night inside the Alamo Convocation Center.

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However, one family member was missing: his father, David Castillo, a petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy.

Castillo didn’t know his father would turn an important milestone into an unforgettable night.

Castillo’s father surprised his son as cheers erupted from the graduation crowd.

Castillo is stationed aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China Sea. He boarded a plane in Singapore, beginning an approximately 17-hour trek back home to San Antonio.

Castillo arrived at the graduation ceremony less than an hour before the ceremony began, the San Antonio Independent School District said in a news release.

In a video shared by the district, Castillo said he would spend the next two weeks with his family before returning to his naval duties in the South China Sea.


About the Author
Nate Kotisso headshot

Nate Kotisso joined KSAT as a digital journalist in 2024. He previously worked as a newspaper reporter in the Rio Grande Valley for more than two years and spent nearly three years as a digital producer at the CBS station in Oklahoma City.

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