Stepdad Jigs With Joy When Stepdaughter Takes His Name During Graduation

A beloved stepdad burst into a joyous jig when his stepdaughter surprised him by taking his name when walking across the stage at her high school graduation.

Over the past five years, Johnny Astorga, 37, has become a father figure in 17-year-old Dalilah Anchondo’s life.

Dalilah admitted the pair had a rocky start when Johnny started dating her mom, Jessica, but having lost her relationship with her biological dad, Dalilah started to build a strong bond with Johnny.

As the years went on, Dalilah said she started to realize how much Johnny was doing for her and her family, eventually seeing him as her father.

And so, ahead of her graduation from Heritage High School in Menifee, California, Dalilah started thinking of ways to incorporate Johnny into the big day.

She opted not to tell her mom and stepdad about the surprise, instead asking her boyfriend and Johnny’s sister-in-law to record him as she made her way across the graduation stage.

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As she did, the announcer read out her name – Dalilah Anchondo Astorga – which caused Johnny to double-take before doing a joyous jig with his feet.

After the ceremony, the pair reunited for an emotional hug, which family members also captured on video.

Dalilah said: “My reaction to seeing my stepdad’s reaction was one of shock – I expected excitement but not as excited as he was.

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“Over time I’ve grown to love Johnny and appreciate him more, and after losing a relationship with my own dad, I realized how much Johnny did for me and how grateful I should be for him.

“We still have our ups and downs, but I consider him my own dad and will forever be grateful that he stepped up for my three siblings and me.

“I had been thinking of surprising him with this for a couple months before my graduation but I didn’t know for sure.

“Then the morning of my graduation I had seen another TikTok of someone doing that so I took it as a sign and I asked my counselor if it would be possible to change it.

“I’ll forever be grateful that he accepted that gesture from me.”

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