A woman had an extraordinary college graduation after realizing she was in labor during her school's ceremony.
Kelsey Hudie was already worried something like that could happen on the day she graduated from Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan, but she was determined to bask in her achievement.
"Nothing was going to stop me from walking that stage — like 100% — even if I had her first," Hudie said.
Hudie spent the last five years working toward her associate degree in education. On the day of her graduation, Hudie was chasing a high she once felt as a teen.
"When I graduated from high school, apart from having her, that was the best day of my life, and I had the best feeling walking across that stage to get my diploma because it was this feeling of achievement that I had finally done it," she said.
The administrators at Henry Ford College were aware of Hudie's condition, so they did what they could to accommodate her during the ceremony.
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"We care so deeply about our students that we want to meet them where they are," Henry Ford College President Russell Kavalhuna said at the commencement.
He explained Hudie’s situation to the audience.
"There's a few things more important than this college degree, and that’s the thing she’s got to get to. So, I hope you will allow me to quickly move through one degree before we get to the rest of you all," Kavalhuna said.
Hudie gave birth three days after the graduation ceremony.
"I hope one day she just knows how special she is. Even without the graduating and everything, I’ve wanted to be a mom for so long, so I’m just so happy," Hudie said.
Hudie is planning to continue her studies at Eastern Michigan University. Her goal is to become a history teacher.
This story was originally published by Alex Bozarjian and David Kalman at Scripps News Detroit.
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