Hunter student gets own graduation after getting stuck on train

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- A nursing student who celebrated a makeshift graduation of a New York City subway after a train breakdown made him miss the actual ceremony has received a personalized graduation.

Jerich Alcantara, a Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing student, was on his way to commencement on May 30 when his E train stalled. Passengers waited an hour and a half for a rescue train. Once the rescue train arrived there were more delays.

Friends, family members and strangers threw Alcantara an impromptu ceremony while they waited. Video posted to Facebook shows a friend handing Alcantara a mock diploma.

Hunter College president Jennifer Raab and nursing school dean Gail McCain held a ceremony Thursday to give Alcantara his diploma.

"Feels like I've graduated three times now..subway, when I reached the venue for the commencement, I had missed it already and my girlfriend decided to gather everyone up and do a ceremony of their own," said Alcantara.

Jerich and his mom weren't trusting the subway for Thursday's do-over ceremony.

They arrived by car, but he says they almost got stuck in traffic.

At the subway graduation, music played from a portable speaker, and Alcantara's family watched his friend Bobby present Alcantara with a "diploma" on his cell phone.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.