Newswise — The only thing Dania Beach resident Tobias Barbir loves as much as his country is his father, Johann Barbir.
Barbir, who is a civilian contractor serving in Iraq to help the U.S. Army withdraw its combat troops, will not be at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) on Aug. 29 to see his father graduate because of his job. However, he did the next best thing: Tobias enlisted the Army’s help in producing a 3-minute video to congratulate his dad from overseas.
The heartfelt video shows him and Army officers stationed in Iraq praising his father for his academic achievements as well as the 693 students from NSU’s College of Allied Health and Nursing who are graduating alongside him.
Unbeknownst to his father, NSU will show Tobias’ video the night before commencement on Saturday, Aug. 28 at the college’s awards banquet at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa in Hollywood, which starts at 7 p.m. His father is expected to attend the banquet.
The video is a tribute to Johann Barbir, who, at age 56, went back to school to pursue his bachelors in nursing degree to advance his career. Sitting in classes where most of the students were half his age, Johann persevered to earn his degree, which will help grow his career in nursing management at Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
“I’m so proud of my father,” Tobias said. “He has been a lifelong inspiration for me, and I believe his story is an inspiration for other nontraditional students who believe it’s never too late to go back to school to chase their dreams.”
Although he wishes he could be there in person to see his father receive his nursing degree, Tobias said his homemade video is the next best thing.
“It conveys my love and admiration for one of the most important people in my life,” he said.
REPORTERS: You can interview anyone this week except for Johann Barbir. Since it's a surprise, he will not be available for interviews until Sunday, Aug. 29.
About Nova Southeastern University: Situated on 300 beautiful acres in Davie, Florida, Nova Southeastern University is a dynamic fully accredited institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs of distinction from preschool through the professional and doctoral levels. NSU has more than 29,000 students and is the seventh largest not-for-profit independent institution nationally. The university awards associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, specialist, doctoral, and first-professional degrees in a wide range of fields, including business, counseling, computer and information sciences, education, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, dentistry, various health professions, law, marine sciences, early childhood, psychology and other social sciences. For more information visit www.nova.edu.
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