Graduating from high school and earning your diploma can be a huge moment for many. So what about when no one claps at your name? One student with autism was welcomed to a silent standing ovation for all the right reasons – and no one could believe the kindness in the room.

Scared For Their Son

21-year-old Jack Higgins was so worried about collecting his diploma that he walked onto the stage with his hands over his ears. It turns out that Jack has severe autism, and his parents were worried about the crowd as noise is one of his many sensory triggers. However, they had always dreamed of watching Jack walk across the stage to receive his diploma.

Making An Announcement

Jack’s mom met with the principal of the school, Lou Riolo, to discuss her fear. It was then that Lou thought of the perfect answer. The students were busy celebrating their final mark of high school when the principal made an announcement. He stated that Jack was about to collect his diploma, but everyone needed to be silent to make it happen.

A True Celebration

No one knew if it was going to work. However, the teachers and fellow parents never expected the students’ response. They all silently got to their feet to show their love for Jack. Some quietly clapped their hands, while others waved to the student on the stage. Jack was able to collect his diploma, and his parents got to see their dreams come true in the best way possible.

Lou believes that everyone has a kind soul, and Jack’s class were able to show just how much their fellow student meant to them as they celebrated his diploma in the best way. It wasn’t an easy task, but it was one that everyone wanted to see work for Jack.

The hit TV show Friends wasn’t only about the relationships between the core six, but about the guys’ dating lives. Here are some of our favorite ladies from Friends, back then and now.

A throwback from Chandler and Ross’s crazy college years, Missy Goldberg was a girl both of the guys had a crush on. They may have agreed to uphold bro code and leave Missy alone, but when they’re reintroduced at their college reunion, Ross can’t hold back anymore and asks Chandler to let him go out with her. In doing so, he discovered that Chandler had never upheld their college pact in the first place.

Shortly after her appearance on Friends, Ellen Pompeo made her debut in the show that would truly make her a star, Grey’s Anatomy. Since 2005, Pompeo has starred as one of the main doctors on the series, Merideth Grey, for whom the show is named. Though she hasn’t had much extra time outside of her work on the series, she’s recently appeared in an episode of the series Station 19 as her Grey’s character, as well as Taylor Swift’s music video for “Bad Blood.”

Playing the picture-perfect vision of a pregnant teen, Anna Faris once again nailed the role of the less-than-bright blonde with a heart of goal. Erica joined the show as a mother who was linked to the adoption agency that Monica and Chandler were using in order to find children of their own. She seemed like the perfect match, though they’re thrown for a loop when Erica first is unsure of the baby’s father, and then gives birth to twins.

Anna Faris became a comedy queen when she first hit the big time in the early 2000s, as she consistently earned roles in some of the biggest movies that were released each year. Her post-Friends credits include Take Me Home Tonight, Brokeback Mountain, The House Bunny, and The Dictator. Though she has still found time to film full-length features in the past few years, Anna’s schedule has been more focused on her role in the sitcom Mom since 2013.

You may not remember Chloe off the top of your head, especially considering she was introduced as a girl who was trying to go out with both Joey and Chandler. The guys met her at the Xerox store, which may spark your memory a little bit, because Chloe is the woman Ross spent the night with when he and Rachel were “on a break.” Whether or not you agree with Ross, Chloe ended up having a lot of impact on the series.

Since Angela Featherstone almost came between one of the most iconic TV relationships in the past two decades, she also went on to ruin relationships in The Wedding Singer, where she played Linda. Between 2003 and 2004, Angela was featured in The Guardian as Suzanne Pell. She then moved on to play Kris in Exes & Ohs, a run which lasted between 2007 and 2011, which was her last substantial TV role. Most recently, she was seen in My Dead Boyfriend, which starred Heather Graham.

Erin was one of many shorter term relationships that Joey had over the course of the show. The pair began their tryst with a night of intimacy, after which, Erin meets Rachel and the two hit it off, spending the day hanging out together. Rachel is so impressed by Erin that she thought it might have been fate for her to have met Joey. The two have plenty in common, but it turns out that it isn’t enough for Erin, and she ends the relationship.

Kristin Davis is probably best known for playing Charlotte York, one of the main women on Sex and the City, a role she was in the midst of playing when she guest starred on Friends. Kristin appeared in every season of Sex and the City, as well as all of the movies. Since then, she has done voice work on Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends from 2004 to 2009. In 2014, she appeared in the TV show Bad Teacher, and was in A Heavenly Christmas in 2016.

Amy is another lady that didn’t quite get involved with any of the guys of Friends, but she sure caused them a lot of trouble. Surprisingly, even Joey is open about the fact that Amy Green is “the hottest girl I’ve ever hated,” with Janice being the only other lady on the show that Joey didn’t like. Amy is rude to both her sister, as well as Ross, and their baby Emma, and even manages to insult Phoebe as well.

Christina had been a well known television actress prior to her appearance on Friends, having played Kelly Bundy for a full decade in Married with Children from 1987 to 1997. She also played the lead romantic interest, Veronica Corningstone, in the Will Ferrell helmed Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, which premiered in 2004. In 2007, Christina went on to star in a new show, Samantha Who, which lasted for two seasons. This year, Christina is also featured in A Bad Mom’s Christmas.

Kathy was one of the first women on Friends to date more than one of the guys. We first see her meet Chandler who promptly asks her out, only to discover Joey had already asked her out first. However, Joey and Kathy’s relationship never becomes serious, and Kathy simultaneously develops feelings for Chandler when she sees how much more thoughtful he is. She eventually dumps Joey for Chandler, though the relationship doesn’t last very long when Chandler eventually discovers that Kathy cheated on him too.

In the years since Paget appeared as Kathy, she has racked up her fair share of acting credits. Since 2006, Paget has been working on Criminal Minds as Emily Prentiss, a role she is still playing today. That hasn’t stopped her from making appearances on many other television shows, including Community, which she appeared on between 2014 and 2015 as both Frankie Dart and Debra Chambers. She also played a number of characters on Dan Vs. from 2011 up until 2013. She has most recently appeared in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

When we first meet Charlie, she’s a brilliant paleontology professor exploring a career at New York University in Ross’s department, but before Ross gets up the courage to make a move on her, Joey lays on the charm first. Though Charlie and Joey date for several episodes, it becomes clear that Charlie and Joey live in different worlds, despite him memorizing a bunch of facts to try and impress her. She decides to break up with Joey while in Barbados.

After breaking up with Joey, Charlie moves on to a short-lived relationship with Ross, which doesn’t work out when Charlie realizes she still has feelings for an ex. Aisha has been quite busy since her run on Friends, appearing in shows like 24 and CSI. She has also lent her voice to the animated Netflix series Bojack Horseman, and since 2009 has been voice acting on Archer as Lana Kane. From 2015 to 2017, Tyler also appeared in Criminal Minds as Dr. Tara Lewis.

We first meet Julie at the beginning of the second season when Ross returns from his trip to China with Julie, whom he had known in grad school, in tow. Despite never having shared her feelings for Ross, seeing him with Julie stirs up a lot of jealously in Rachel, especially when Monica and Julie become friends. Rachel eventually tells Ross how she feels, leaving him to make a decision about which woman he wants to be with. He eventually chooses Rachel.

Lauren Tom has mostly been working as a voice actor for the last 20 or so years. She has lent her voice to popular kids shows since the mid-1990s, including Kim Possible, Rocket Power, Samurai Jack, Futurama, and Teen Titans Go! Though Lauren has continued to lend her voice to several animated series that are still currently in production, she has also recently begun a new role as Celia Mack on the live action show, Andi Mack, her first since 2015.

You probably remember Katie from the episode titled after her character, “The One With The Girl Who Hits Joey”, when she appears as one of Joey’s new girlfriends. Joey likes her bright personality, but struggles to maintain the relationship because Katie constantly hits him in jest, only her pint sized frame packs a lot of power, and Joey is often left in pain. When he fails to convince her to stop punching him, he breaks things off.

If the name Soleil Moon Frye sounds familiar, it may be because you too were a fan of Punky Brewster back in the day. Soleil has been working consistently since her days as a child star of the 1980s, with runs on shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch where she played Roxie King, from 2000 until 2003. Soleil has mostly shied away from the camera in recent years, instead working off screen as a voice actor, with her last role in Robot Chicken.

You may have forgotten that Phoebe’s evil twin Ursula once dated Joey in the middle of season one. As their relationship progressed, Joey increasing forgot about Phoebe, even missing out on Phoebe’s birthday party to spend time with Ursula. Unfortunately for Joey, Ursula had only a passing interest in him, and decided to disappear from his life. Phoebe saved the day by breaking things off with Joey while posing as her sister in the dress he had given Ursula as a birthday gift.

While all Friends fans know that Lisa Kudrow was best known as Phoebe Buffay, the lovable, but eccentric hippy of the group, Phoebe was the only one of the leading ladies that never actually dated Ross, Joey, or Chandler, so it’s a good thing Lisa Kudrow occasionally doubled as Phoebe’s evil twin Ursula. These days, Lisa Kudrow has been working on two Netflix shows, including The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and has also lent her voice to various projects, including this year’s The Boss Baby.

Chandler began dating Aurora early on in season one, during one of his many breaks with Janice. Aurora was initially intriguing to Chandler, given that she was a feisty Italian woman who had previously been an Israeli soldier. As interested as he was in Aurora, there were a couple of problems from the start, namely that she was married, and already had another boyfriend on the side. Chandler couldn’t handle sharing her with so many, so he showed her the door.

Sofia Milos had already had a more substantial TV role, prior to her debut on Friends. Between 1997 and 1998, she played Julia Karinsky on Caroline in the City, but her career was still only just getting started. Beginning in 2003, Milos was cast in CSI: Miami as Yelena Salas, a role she played up until 2009. She has been working consistently since then, with her most recent appearances in the second season of Sangre Negra, where she has been playing Christina Sabatini.

Joey first meets Kate Miller when they’re acting together in a play, and Joey immediately falls for her. Unfortunately for him, Kate isn’t interested in Joey, especially because she’s currently dating the director, who dumps her when the play fails. Kate turns to Joey for comfort and the two end up sharing an intimate night together, but then Kate gets a role in LA and decides to leave. She is impressed by Joey’s acting when he channels his sadness into the role.

Dina Meyer may have gotten her start on Beverly Hills, 90210, and her career only grew from there. One of her biggest roles was as Barbara Gordon on Birds of Prey, a role she played between the years of 2002 and 2003 . She also spent a year playing Amber Hargrove on Point Pleasant from 2005 to 2006. These days Dina can be seen playing Julie Christiansen in The Affair, as well as Lydia in The Evil Within. Next year, she will appear in several episodes of The Magicians.

One of Monica’s most important arcs throughout the entirety of the series was her budding relationship with Chandler. Throughout the series, we see through flashbacks how Monica was interested in Chandler from the start, but because she used to be overweight, he never thought twice about her. Eventually, the two get together when they’re in London, keeping their relationship a secret from the rest of the gang. By the finale, the two have gotten married and adopted twins together.

Courteney may have played Monica for the full ten years of Friends’s run, a role which catapulted her, along with the rest of the main cast, into stardom. After Friends, Courteney had a couple of small movie roles, before landing a role on the TV show Dirt, which lasted from 2007 to 2008. From 2009 up until the series wrapped in 2015, Courteney played Jules Cobb in the hit ABC show, Cougar Town. Most recently, Courtney appeared in an episode of Drunk History.

Chandler Bing made his relationship with his parents clear throughout the series of Friends, but both his father and mother would make the occasional appearance. Nora was his gorgeous, yet overly dramatic mother. Although Chandler did not have such a close relationship with his mother, she does attend his and Monica’s wedding but chooses to avoid her ex-husband who had transitioned into a woman and was discovered to be having an affair with their pool boy.

Having appeared in five episodes of the hit series, Fairchild went on to have other guest appearances on other television series including The Bold and the Beautiful, Bones, Revenge, and Hot in Cleveland. She won an Emmy Award nomination for her guest appearance in an episode of Murphy Brown in 1989 but has moved from acting to focus on being a spokesperson for a website which helps consumers make burial preplanning choices. She has also taken up kung-fu after she was held against her on two occasions.

Charles Bing, also known as Helena Handbasket, was the biological father of Chandler Bing. Charles became Helena when she began performing on stage in Las Vegas and is where Chandler and Monica visit so Chandler can invite his father to his wedding. It is because of his parents that Chandler hates Thanksgiving because it was over their Thanksgiving meal when he was 9-years-old that they announced their divorce. Charles would attend Chandler’s swimming events dressed as different starlets.

Kathleen Turner is a two time Golden Globe Award winner, having won the award for Best Actress, and has been nominated for an Academy Award for her 1986 role in Peggy Sue Got Married. While having a successful acting career in television and film, Turner has also showcased her talents on stage, having most recently played Joan Didion in the one-woman show, The Year of Magical Thinking. Turner was married to real estate entrepreneur, Jay Weiss, from 1984-2007, and the pair share one daughter.

The mother of both Ross and Monica was the ever so critical Judy Geller. Known for favoring Ross more than Monica, the mother-daughter relationship with the pair was never smooth sailing. Judy was seen to constantly criticize Monica for her lack of a boyfriend and stating her ears are “not her best feature.” Fortunately, Monica finds her true love, Chandler, and hopes to have the same long-term marriage her parents had. Judy and Jack Geller’s 35th wedding anniversary is celebrated in one of the episodes.

Starting her career on stage from the 1960’s, Christina soon turned to acting and is best known for her role as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the 1980’s NBC drama, St. Elsewhere, for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She was awarded another nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Judy Geller. She was married to her first husband, Victor Lobl, for 23 years and is now married to Australian journalist, Ian Masters.

Susan may not have officially dated one of the guys of Friends, but she was certainly involved in perhaps the weirdest triangle to exist on the series. Susan is Ross’s ex-wife Carol’s new partner, and the woman she left Ross for. Susan and Ross often clash, especially with regards to parenting Carol and Ross’s baby. Eventually, Ross comes to terms with Susan and Carol’s partnership, even giving Carol away at their wedding since her parents didn’t approve of the union.

Since her appearance on Friends, Jessica became a highly regarded film actress, appearing in titles likes Sideways, which won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture-Comedy or Music. She also appeared in Dan in Real Life in 2007 and in Whatever Works in 2009. From 2008, Jessica Hecht began appearing in the hit primetime drama, Breaking Bad as Gretchen Schwartz, a role she played through 2013. Most recently, she has appeared in Red Oaks and Madam Secretary.

When we were first introduced to the Central Perk gang, Ross had been left by his wife Carol when she came out to him as a lesbian. In the pilot episode, Carol reveals that she is pregnant with Ross’s child, but will rais the baby with her partner, Susan.

Ross and Carol eventually manage to have a cordial relationship, co-parenting their son Ben throughout the 10 seasons of the show, though past 2001, Jane stopped making appearances. She worked intermittently as an actress through 2008, before taking an eight year hiatus from performance, but Jane was still active behind the scenes, producing four documentaries on a Croatian faith healer called Braco between 2010 and 2013. Recently, she filmed a pilot called Menopause, which is due out in 2018, as well as a movie called Wedding Wonderland.

Bonnie was yet another of Ross’s girlfriends that Rachel hated out of jealousy. Rachel had initially suggested that Phoebe set Bonnie up with Ross because Rachel remembered that she was bald, but to Rachel’s dismay, Bonnie’s hair has grown back, making her into much more of a threat. Eventually the gang takes a trip to the beach together where Rachel manages to convince Bonnie to shave her head again, with the hopes that it will sabotage their relationship. Ross breaks up with her.

After her arc on Friends concluded, Christine appeared in The Wedding Singer as Drew Barrymore’s best friend Holly, in 1998, and Zoolander with Ben Stiller, her then husband, in 2001. Christine also played one of Michael Bluth’s love interests, Sally Sitwell, in both original run of Arrested Development, as well as the revived fourth season that was released on Netflix in 2013. She recently appeared in Odd Mom Out as Barrett, as well as in Search Party where she played Gail in 2016.

Ross first meets Mona at Monica and Chandler’s wedding, but as with their ensuing relationship, the evening turns out to be a series of unfortunate events. Their bad luck continues, as mishap after mishap occurs, namely Ross finds out just after they meet that Rachel is pregnant with his baby. Ross was generally characterized as impulsive throughout the majority of his relationships, but with Mona, he tries to take thing more slowly. They were doomed from the start due to Rachel’s pregnancy.

Though Mona tried to be supportive of Ross’s new baby, ultimately it was too complicated for her. Bonnie exited the show, but continued to find small recurring roles on television over the years, including short term runs on Kitchen Confidential, The O.C., and NYPD Blue. In 2015 and 2016 she played Christa Lorenson on the TV show, Code Black. Most recently, she appeared in an episode of Law and Order, and next year is set to appear in the Bradley Cooper directed A Star Is Born.

Cecilia was one of Joey’s Days of Our Lives costars, with whom a relationship begins after she finds out from Joey that her character is set to be killed off. Though she is initially upset, she agrees to help Joey learn how to play her character, which leads to romantic sparks between the pair. Joey ends up developing serious feelings for Cecilia, which was generally rare for him, but their romance is short lived when Cecilia leaves to film a new project in Mexico.

By the time Susan Sarandon appeared on Friends, she was already a massive celebrity in her own right. She was one of a few celebrities to guest star on the show as a romantic interest of one of the main characters. Sarandon has an extensive resume, but most recently has been appearing in the TV series Ray Donovan as Samantha Winslow, which stars Liev Schreiber. She was also featured in A Bad Mom’s Christmas, which was just released this year.

Oh Emily, how we Friends fans love to hate you. Sure, you had every right to be angry when Ross said Rachel’s name during his wedding vows, but considering the ceremony wasn’t quite over, you very easily could have stopped the wedding then and there, rather than marrying Ross and immediately throwing a tantrum. Emily ended up becoming Ross’s second ex-wife, since he refused to break off all contact with Rachel in order to give their marriage a shot.

Helen’s character Emily disappeared from Ross’s life when the girls convinced Ross not to get back involved with her following their divorce. Since her run on Friends, Helen has continued working in television, appearing in Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years in 2001, as well as Cold Feet from 1997 to 2003. Most recently, Helen has been seen in the British TV series Cuckoo, which she made appearances on between 2012 and 2016. Most recently, she filmed Heidi: Queen of the Mountain.

Who could ever forget Janice’s infamous laugh, and repeated exclamations of “OH. MY. GOD!” throughout the years? Though Chandler and Janice are often forgotten about when considering the numerous on again, off again relationships on the show, in reality they were one of the first. The truth is, Chandler was often kind of a jerk to Janice, who was always there when he needed her, but he couldn’t stand the sound her voice. Thankfully, Janice found love in the end.

It may be a comfort to know that Maggie Wheeler doesn’t really speak like Janice day to day. Since Friends wrapped in 2004, Maggie has been working extensively. Around the same time as Friends, she was also featured frequently on another popular sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. Since 2009, Maggie has been voicing the role of Trinette McGoon on the animated adult comedy, Archer, where she voices the title characters favorite female escort. In the interim, Maggie was also featured in the show Californication as Ophelia in 2013.

Janine is introduced to the series as Joey’s beautiful new roommate after Chandler moves out. Joey is immediately interested in her and begins plotting his first move. They almost kiss at the New Years Eve party she invited the gang to in order to be back up dancers, but the pair ends up having to wait until they return to their apartment. Joey eventually dumps Janine after she reveals that she can’t stand Chandler and Monica, which Joey can’t accept.

By the time she appeared on Friends, Elle Macpherson was already a well established supermodel, having been discovered when she was only 18 years old. Prior to Friends, she had had a number of acting roles in films like Sirens and Batman & Robin. Macpherson has remained busy since her run on Friends, mostly as a model and business woman. She was the host and producer of the show, Britain and Irelands Next Top Model for two years, and appeared in an episode of The Project in 2016.

When Amanda comes to visit Monica and Phoebe from England, neither of them exactly seem pleased. Though she had once been their third roommate before Chandler had moved in across the hall, the ladies hadn’t kept in touch with her, especially given that she’d adopted a terrible fake accent since her move overseas. To make matters worse, Amanda let slip that Phoebe almost cut Monica out of her life entirely before the show began.

One of the funniest women to ever grace the screens of Hollywood, Jennifer Coolidge has enjoyed a storied career in some of the biggest comedy hits of the last two decades. Though she first earned her fame through blockbuster movies, in the intervening years, Coolidge turned increasingly to television roles, which have included The Secret Life of the American Teenager, as well as voice work for Gravity Falls. From 2012 to 2017, Coolidge enjoyed a run on 2 Broke Girls.

Before she began dating Ross, Elizabeth was one of his undergraduate students at NYU. After she finishes her class with Ross, the two begin dating secretly, since Elizabeth is still a student and significantly younger than Ross. Unfortunately, her father, played by Bruce Willis, discovers them and is not pleased with the relationship, but in turn, begins dating Rachel. Ross eventually breaks things off with Elizabeth when he realizes that the guys are right about her level of maturity.

Alexandra Holden continued making varied TV appearances in the years since she was a recurring character on Friends. She has extended runs on Friday Night Lights in 2007 as Suzy, and Franklin & Bash in 2011 as Debbie Wilcox. Between 2012 and 2014, Alexandra played Lydia Sparks in the TV show, Rizzoli and Isles. Her last film performance was in the 2015 horror film, Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story, where she played the role of Rose Whittlocke. Her next film doesn’t yet have a scheduled release date.