Cleveland captives receive honorary high school diplomas

After spending years of their lives under the captivity of Ariel Castro, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were finally released in May 2013, and now they have something else to celebrate.

Berry, now 29, was only 16-years-old when she was kidnapped, and DeJesus, now 25, was 14-years-old when she was kidnapped. Berry was a student at John Marshall High School when she was kidnapped in 2003, and DeJesus was a student at Wilbur Wright Elementary School, but she was on track to attend John Marshall.

Since the women were held captive during their school-age years, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District decided to honor the women with honorary diplomas this past Wednesday.

Both Berry and DeJesus attended the commencement ceremony at Cleveland State University's Wolstein Center, and they walked across the stage to accept their diplomas in full commencement attire.

The women recently published a memoir together titled Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.

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