• Article Photo. Recruters joined Elliana and her family for the special graduation service.
    Recruters joined Elliana and her family for the special graduation service.
  • Article Photo. Elliana Lane graduated on Friday, in a special ceremony. She begins Marine basic training Monday.
    Elliana Lane graduated on Friday, in a special ceremony. She begins Marine basic training Monday.
  • Article Photo. The special graduation was best friend and soccer teammate Chelsea Miers' idea.
    The special graduation was best friend and soccer teammate Chelsea Miers' idea.
  • Article Photo. Friends gathered to wish Elliana Lane well at her grad party; she begins Marine training this week.
    Friends gathered to wish Elliana Lane well at her grad party; she begins Marine training this week.

When the Vinton-Shellsburg Class of 2015 celebrates its commencement on May 24, one of its members will already be in South Carolina, training to be a U.S. Marine.

So Elliana Lane’s best friend and Vikette soccer teammate Chelsea Miers had an idea: A one-person graduation.

Principal Matt Kingsbury liked the idea, so on Friday, Elliana – who begins basic training on Monday – put on the black gown with her blue National Honor Society ribbon. She sat on the stage in the auditorium as Marine recruiters and friends joined her parents, Dan and Michelle, and little brother Ryan for a celebration.

Elliana's friends joked about her immediate future -- how she will be without her cell phone or the Internet for the next three months -- and shared funny memories and serious tributes. 

"You were brave enough to stand up and show who you are and be proud of it. You have always known exactly what you wanted to be -- a Marine -- and you have never doubted yourself," Miers said during the graduation.

“We are so proud of her and her accomplished and amazed how much she is liked in her high school. She is a very strong girl and will have an amazing future,” says Michelle. "Ellie was amazed to hear how much she met to her classmates. Graduation is the end of a journey but also the beginning of a new journey. I personally loved to listen to people speak about how much my daughter meant to her classmates and teammates."

Earlier in the week, members of the soccer team “kidnapped” Elliana and took her out for a nice dinner and then dessert at Cold Stone.

“I seriously have the best team that anyone could ever ask for. I love you guys so much,” Elliana wrote on her Twitter page that day.

During her speech, Miers praised Elliana's role on the soccer team and thanked her for "bringing her determination, laughs and oranges to every game and practice."

Earlier in her senior year, Classmates elected her the 2015 Homecoming Queen, making her the first-ever Marine recruit in school history to earn that honor. On Monday, she joins other recruits at Parris Island, S.C. for basic training.

Elliana says she does not know where she will end up after finishing basic training in about 13 weeks. She said she is now considering either becoming an MP or working with the Marine media unit. Where she is stationed will be largely determined by which job she choses. 

"You are going to be one heck of a Marine because you are already one heck of a friend and leader every day," Miers said. 

See a video of Elliana's graduation HERE.