Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were kidnapped as teenagers by Ariel Castro. Held for 10 years in a Cleveland suburban house, the girls missed out on several milestones, including their high school graduation.
But on Wednesday, the women were granted the honors of donning their white caps and gowns and received their honorary diplomas from John Marshall High School, according to Cleveland Northeast Ohio Media Group.
The school was the same institution Amanda attended before her abduction in 2013, and the high school Gina would've have joined before Castro robbed them of their future, according to Enstarz.
"It was awesome," Amanda, now 29, said after the ceremony.
"I always wanted to grow up and be somebody and do something with my life, you know? I always planned to graduate, and my mom always wanted that for me, to see me cross the stage. So this means everything to me," she added.
Amanda had big plans before the kidnapping and had the intention of being the first person in her family to attend college. She wrote in her memoire that she wanted to save money after school and buy her own house. The book, "Hope," which she co-authored with Gina, was published last month and has been a consistent New York Times best-seller.
Meanwhile, the third victim in the Cleveland kidnappings, Michelle Knight, is also getting her life back on track. She has recently released a song, which talks about her life after captivity. "Survivor" is already being sold on iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, according to Fox8.
Her memoire was also adapted for television via the Lifetime production of "Cleveland Abduction," which aired on May 2.
