On Tuesday, Darline Bertil who lost both of her hands in the 2010 Haiti earthquake after she was trapped in rubble for days proudly graduated from Hunter College. Bertil plans to return to Haiti to create a rehab center for children with disabilities.
Hunter college graduation was certainly an inspiring one. Among their 1,800 graduates, there were not one, but five valedictorians. All had a 4.0 GPA and all are young inspiring young women.
Among the many inspiring and impressive graduates there was Haitian student Darline Bertil who lost both of her hands during the 2010 earthquake.
According to NYCDailyNews,
When the earthquake destroyed Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, Bertil was working at the Hotel Montana. The building collapsed on top of her. She remembers watching in horror as falling stone slabs sliced her limbs off. “I lost my hands! I lost my hands!” she screamed to a co-worker before losing consciousness.
It was five days before U.S. troops dug Bertil out, and even that was tinged with horror: The body of an elderly man was blocking the small escape hole the troops had dug, forcing rescuers to dismember the corpse. Medics estimated Bertil would have died within the hour if they hadn’t freed her.
Bertil plans to get a master’s degree and then work with disabled children someday.
“I want to use my potential to help others, to be the best person I can be,” Bertil said.
