The Cuban content creator Dean Pablo Hernández Torres celebrated his graduation as a Technical Level Intermediate in Connectivity and Networks at the Bicentennial Polivalente A N°71 Guillermo Feliú Cruz High School in Santiago, Chile.
The popular Cuban influencer shared this achievement with his followers through a reel and an Instagram post that has garnered thousands of reactions and congratulatory messages.
"I achieved it far from where I dreamed I would be. I didn't graduate in Cuba; I ended up graduating in Chile, which is the place I now call home," Dean said in the video. He summed up with that phrase the turn his life took when he emigrated from the island in 2024, at the age of 17 while completing his pre-university studies.
The title was issued by the Ministry of Education of Chile. The official certification has now arrived, following the completion of the required practical stage.
The ceremony was marked by two setbacks that Dean recounted with humor. On the day of the gala, he was unwell, suffering from a fever and body aches. Additionally, he almost missed the beginning of the awards ceremony because his dad took too long to leave work, but they arrived at the event just in time.
According to him, his father's presence was the detail that carried the most weight on this day. "There are gifts that no amount of money in the world can buy. And this is one of them," the young Cuban stated. The navy blue three-piece suit he wore was also a gift from his dad for this special occasion.
In the photo post he shared the night before, Dean wrote: "Thank you, Chile, for giving me so many opportunities and especially for giving me freedom, which will always be the most valuable thing we can have as human beings."
Emigrating to Chile as a teenager: A difficult decision
In February 2024, Dean publicly explained why he had left Cuba. "Who wants to live outside their country? Nobody. You're forced to do it if you want to be a person, if you want to be someone."
He added that on the island, "there is no hope, no motivation, there is nothing, everything is at a standstill." On the same day of his departure, the authorities visited his home to enlist him in the Mandatory Military Service.
In Chile, Dean lived with his father and began working in refrigeration, a trade he had learned in Cuba, while studying and building an audience on social media.
To close the reel of his graduation, the young Cuban quoted a phrase from the philosophy professor: “Life is neither a goal nor a race. It is not about who finishes first or last. It is about those who arrive and understand that the best moment is now.”
Additionally, the Cuban added: "I realized that at this moment I didn’t close a chapter, but rather began a new journey towards building all those dreams that I have yet to make a reality."
Filed under: