On graduation day, it's everyone's dream to look out into the crowd and see their parents smiling back at them with pride. For Kazzie Portie, this was a dream tragically cut short. Just days before his graduation from Little Cyprus-Mauriceville High School in Texas, the 18-year-old's parents were killed on the road by a drunk driver.

But in the midst of what must have been unfathomable grief, Kazzie found some solace. Officer Eric Ellison, who had to break the terrible news to Kazzie, made a promise that he'd be there for his graduation. “I said, ‘You are going to walk!'” Officer Ellison told BuzzFeed News.

"This picture sums up, why LIFE matters. If you were at the LCM Graduation today you could feel the love shown by the Class of 2015," Ellison wrote in the caption to their emotional reunion photo.

“Your mom and dad will have front row seats looking down from Heaven, and I'll stand in their place. I've got your back,” the officer told Kazzie.

The entire auditorium gave Kazzie a standing ovation. His brother, Blake, captured the moment on video:

From tragedy, triumph and a newfound friendship.