Surprise! Former Student Makes Impromptu Visit to Central Islip High School

Ash Harnandan graduated from Central Islip High School in 2021 and joined the United States Navy. Three years later, she made a surprise appearance. Only home for a few days, Harnandan visited the high school to say hi to her old teachers and administrators.

“All my teachers were so kind to me when I was here,” Harnandan said. “I was a lot different from my peers growing up, but that didn’t stop teachers being so friendly and nice to me. They were my best friends.”

One of those teachers is Nicole Keilitz, who taught Ash science. When she saw her walk into her classroom, she was instantly moved to tears. “I’ve been crying the last hour walking around with Ash,” Keilitz said while smiling and having her arm around Ash. “This girl is such a wonderful person. Her coming back speaks volumes to her character.”

Ash didn’t come home emptyhanded. In her spare time, she put together plastic eggs filled with gifts from her stops overseas. The gifts included flowers, leis and seashells from Hawaii and Guam, where she is currently stationed.

Harnandan serves Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 in aviation ordinance, where she works on mounting aircrafts and cleaning weapons for all soldiers. Even though it’s a short visit, Harnandan was grinning ear-to-ear when walking through the halls of her former school.

“It’s so cool being back here now,” she said. “I want to spread joy and positivity and I hope I did that today.” She has a 36-hour flight back to Guam, where she is stationed for another two years.