U.S. Marine makes surprise Tri-Cities visit after years away to see baby sister graduate
Amid a sea of red caps and gowns, two siblings described as “kindred spirits” were reunited Saturday at a Tri-Cities graduation ceremony.
Cpl. Donovan Arambul hadn’t seen his baby sister, Zoe, in nearly four years.
But he flew across the country this weekend from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina just to see her graduate from Kamiakin High School.
“Just seeing her come up and accomplish all these really awesome things — and honestly doing them 10 times better than I did — is just really cool,” the U.S. Marine told the Tri-City Herald. “I’m immensely proud of her as a brother, and it was really great to see her grow up into this really amazing individual.”
The two are 13 years apart, and the youngest and oldest of four siblings.
Outside the Toyota Center in Kennewick, the four of them — including Connor and Parker Arambul — recreated a photo from Donovan Arambul’s 2010 graduation.
It’s a tradition they’ve continued at every sibling’s Kamiakin High School graduation ceremony.
Zoe Arambul was completely caught off guard at her brother’s homecoming.
She said she was always hoping in the back of her mind that he would come back for her graduation.
And when she spotted him outside after the ceremony, she said she felt “relieved” and “grateful.”
“We actually shared a room for about five years because we lived in an apartment. And so, we kind of bonded over that time together, and I’ve been following in his footsteps ever since,” she said.
He’ll be home for about two weeks before flying back to the East Coast.
“With her being the youngest, there was always this protectiveness about her,” said Donovan Arambul, who works as a data systems administrator in the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion. He added later, “I’m always looking out for her.”
Their mom Shiloh Arambul said she’s been crying ever since her son told her about this plan.
“They’re like the same person,” she said. “They’re very much kindred spirits and they always have been. They’re very close, have the same passions and hobbies... They’ve kind of always just had this connection.”
Just as her brother did, Zoe Arambul plans to tour with the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps after high school as a drum major.
Both siblings were heavily involved in Kamiakin’s music program, Donovan as a saxophone player and Zoe as a trumpeter.
At Saturday’s ceremony, Zoe was recognized with a plaque for her musical achievements.
After touring with Seattle Cascades, she plans to continue coaching gymnastics at All American Gymnastics and Sports Center in Kennewick for another year before taking off to a university to study sports medicine.
There will be a lot of changes in the coming months for the class of 2023.
“It’s all about this transition into a new step,” Donovan Arambul said. “It kind of opens up a whole different perspective on things. It’s all about good change.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2023 at 5:15 PM.
