Graduation day held a special surprise for student Unique A. Flynn, who received her A.S. in Business Administration.

Her boyfriend proposed after graduation during dinner at Texas Roadhouse. A mother of five, Flynn served as a lance corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. Originally from Texas, Flynn moved to Connecticut with her husband, but got divorced in 2013. 

Flynn credited her professors for their unwavering support during her time at GCC as she adjusted to being a single parent with no family nearby. Flynn found a father figure in William Dixon, a deacon at her church. She had given him a ticket to her graduation, but Dixon passed away suddenly on May 16.

“The excitement (graduation and getting engaged) was put on hold the next day (the funeral), but I know he would've been excited for us. He has been telling my fiancé to pop the question already, so he could walk me down the aisle,” Flynn said. 

Flynn is already enrolled at the University of New Haven and has her bachelor's degree 73 percent complete. She is studying business management.