A father was left outraged when his daughter was told she couldn’t wear a traditional Hawaiian lei during her graduation ceremony at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista. Sophia Noelani Iliana Benzon, adorned with a beautiful lei, was poised to join her classmates in the graduation procession when school staff intervened, leading to a heated confrontation that was captured on video and later shared on TikTok.
In the footage, a school staff member is seen apologizing but firmly stating the lei violated the school’s dress code policy. 
Sophia’s father expressed his frustration vehemently, saying, “You’re not sorry. I don’t want to hear sorry, I want my daughter to be out on that field walking with her traditional garb like every one of my other family members in the past who have graduated.”
The Benzon family believed they had the necessary permission from the school district for Sophia to wear the lei. Despite this, the situation escalated, and Sophia was eventually not allowed to participate in her graduation. Her brother Kainoa, who uploaded the TikTok video which has since garnered nearly seven million views, detailed the ordeal in the video’s caption.
“My sister was denied from walking at her graduation minutes before her ceremony because school staff would not let her wear traditional Hawaiian lei’s. After getting further approval from the district board to wear them, faculty members further then restricted access to having her phone and forced Sophia, A MINOR, to verbally say she was not going to participate in the ceremony in order for her to contact her parents after the fact,” Kainoa wrote.
According to his account, Sophia was sequestered in another building as her peers celebrated their graduation. “They held her in another building as the graduation ceremony was taking place and there she was discriminated and excluded from her peers as she stood crying in disbelief waiting for her family to arrive,” he continued.
The incident has sparked a broader conversation about cultural inclusivity and the rigidity of school policies. On Reddit, where the video was also shared, users voiced their confusion and dismay. 
One commenter noted, “I’m more dumbfounded this happened, in San Diego too. It’s not like she had 10 leis or something like some graduates end up with after walking. I can see those being a bit weird for a stage walk, but this is just ridiculous.”
Another added, “My sister’s high school doesn’t allow leis of any kind. It makes no sense, it doesn’t disrupt anything with the ceremony. I get it some students are overkill with them but just put a limit to it, don’t outright ban them.”
Sophia decided not to walk in the graduation ceremony and instead celebrated with her family in the parking lot and at home. Meanwhile, her father’s staunch defense of their Hawaiian heritage has been met with widespread support online.