1:53
- ABC News
- June 4, 2018
Parkland HS grants posthumous diplomas to victims
The senior class of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School graduated Sunday.
1:53
Manuel and Patricia Oliver, the parents of Joaquin Oliver, accepted their late son’s diploma on his behalf.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/parkland-memorial-01-rtr-jc-180313_hpEmbed_3_9x7_384.jpg\")
Patricia Oliver wore a bright yellow shirt under a vest that read: “This should be my son.”
They said they never imagined they would see their 17-year-old son's classmates graduating without him.
\"We had a lot of plans for our lives,\" Manuel Oliver told ABC's \"Nightline\" in an interview Friday. \"These kinds of events destroy any plan that you had and leave you in an empty space with no plan at all.\"
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/florida-school-01-as-gty-180219_hpEmbed_4_19x13_384.jpg\")
The crowd in the arena applauded as she hoisted a framed diploma and cap over her head.
The graduation took place as the school's alleged gunman, Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student, remained incarcerated after being charged in connection with the 17 deaths as well as the wounding of 17 others. If convicted, Cruz could be sentenced to the death penalty.
The teen's defense attorneys have said he would plead guilty \"in exchange for a waiver of the death sentence.\"
At the graduation, \"Tonight Show\" host Jimmy Fallon delivered a surprise commencement speech. He lightened the otherwise somber mood with jokes teenagers could relate to.
\"You won't be classmates anymore. You'll be adults who Facebook search each other at 2:00 in the morning for the next 10 years,\" Fallon quipped.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/parkland-florida-school-mourning-5-gty-jt-180218_4x3t_384.jpg\")
The comedian also praised the students' resolve in their March for Our Lives protest back in March.
\"You took something horrific and instead of letting it stop ... you started a movement,\" he told the students. \"Not just here in Florida, not just in America, but throughout the whole world. The whole world has heard your voice, and that was you making a choice.\"
Congratulations Marjory Stoneman Douglas Class of 2018! You are not just the future - you are the present. Keep changing the world. Keep making us proud. #MSDStrong #YouAreThePresent pic.twitter.com/czvZwezKSt
— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) June 3, 2018
Since the mass school shooting, Stoneman's students have seized on the watershed moment to led a movement to push for tougher legislation on gun control.
More marches are expected as the movement evolves.
\"Huge announcement tomorrow. We’re so excited to let the world know what we’ve been working on the past few months. Get ready! #MarchForOurLives,\" junior Jaclyn Corin posted on her Twitter account.
Huge announcement tomorrow. We’re so excited to let the world know what we’ve been working on the past few months. Get ready! #MarchForOurLives
— Jaclyn Corin (@JaclynCorin) June 3, 2018
ABC News' Stephanie Wash contributed to this report.
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