--- title: A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got Diplomas description: They are both 90 and fulfilled a lifelong dream canonical: https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/ author: Daniel D'Addario article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-20T15:57:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:48:24.097Z og:title: A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got High School Diplomas og:description: They are both 90 and fulfilled a lifelong dream og:url: https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0257d99cc871f8b/6988557be20a873dd1a8befd/george-miko-kaihara-jpeg.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: george Miko Kaihara graduation og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got High School Diplomas twitter:description: They are both 90 and fulfilled a lifelong dream twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0257d99cc871f8b/6988557be20a873dd1a8befd/george-miko-kaihara-jpeg.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got High School Diplomas ## Video: Summer Solstice: The Start of Summer [Watch (HLS stream): Summer Solstice: The Start of Summer](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/4QJbAXP9.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2014-06-20. Summer solstice is the annual event where the sun is at its highest point in the sky and the daylight seems neverending in the Northern Hemisphere. But it’s also a time for celebration for many cultures across the world._  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Jun 20, 2015 3:57 PM UTC  George, front left, and Miko Kaihara, front right, are surrounded by family members in the Tustin High School Science Center prior to the graduation ceremony in Tustin, Calif. June 18, 2015. George, front left, and Miko Kaihara, front right, are surrounded by family members in the Tustin High School Science Center prior to the graduation ceremony in Tustin, Calif. June 18, 2015.Mark Eliot—Reuters  by [Daniel D'Addario](https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/)  ## Daniel D'Addario Jun 20, 2015 3:57 PM UTC George and Miko Kaihara [received their high school diplomas](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/20/us-usa-internment-california-idUSKBN0P002H20150620) on Thursday—at long last. The couple had been in high school when they were sent to a government internment camp in Arizona during World War II in 1942; they were meant to have graduated in June 1943\. The couple, both 90 and grandparents of seven, had finished their high school education at the camp, but said that their graduation ceremony, held at Tustin High School in Irvine, Calif., had been the fulfillment of a longtime dream. Referring to her diploma, Miko Kaihara said, “I want to show it off.” “It was really important to us, because I know it’s always been their dream to receive a diploma from Tustin High,” said a spokesman for the school district. \[[_Reuters_](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/20/us-usa-internment-california-idUSKBN0P002H20150620)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/"},"headline":"A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got High School Diplomas","datePublished":"2015-06-20T15:57:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:48:24.097Z","description":"They are both 90 and fulfilled a lifelong dream","url":"https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/","keywords":["Newsfeed","U.S.","National","News"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0257d99cc871f8b/6988557be20a873dd1a8befd/george-miko-kaihara-jpeg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Daniel D'Addario","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/daniel-daddario/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf0257d99cc871f8b/6988557be20a873dd1a8befd/george-miko-kaihara-jpeg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"george Miko Kaihara graduation","caption":"george Miko Kaihara graduation","creditText":"Mark Eliot—Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3929335/japanese-american-couple-high-school-diplomas/","name":"A Formerly Interned Japanese-American Couple Finally Got High School Diplomas"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Summer Solstice: The Start of Summer","description":"Summer solstice is the annual event where the sun is at its highest point in the sky and the daylight seems neverending in the Northern Hemisphere. 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