Soldier surprises Central Michigan University graduate LaDyra Lyte who hasn’t seen her brother for almost a year

A soldier and his sister recently went viral after he got back from a deployment to surprise his sibling at her college graduation.

Central Michigan University graduate LaDyra Lyte hadn’t seen her brother 22-year-old LaDaryl Lyte, for almost a year since he deployed with the U.S. Army Reserve. During her commencement ceremony the school’s president started to read a letter from LaDaryl according to Good Morning America.

“I want you to tell my sister how proud I am, how gracious she is, how superlative she is, and I know that she is going to do amazing things in her life,” LaDaryl said in the letter. “She is one in a million with a special talent of knowing just how to move forward.”

LaDyra earned degree is in fashion merchandising and design, became emotional listening to the letter. The moment was captured in a video on Facebook. According to the news station, LaDyra was unaware that her brother was at the ceremony because he was expected not to attend her big day.

LaDaryl told GMA that once his leave was approved, he reached out to the school to see if there were any tickets left for the ceremony and officials suggested that he should surprise his sister. Not all of his family members knew about his plans to attend his sister’s college graduation.

“They had me show up to the graduation two hours early so they could hide me upstairs so my family wouldn’t see me,” he said of the college officials. “The night before I couldn’t even sleep because I was nervous.”

During the ceremony, while the president read LaDaryl’s letter, the soldier made his entrance.