BIG RAPIDS, Mich. — A Michigan woman had it all planned -- she was going to receive her college degree on Friday and then have a cesarean section and welcome her new daughter on Monday.
As most mothers can attest, infants have a mind of their own. So when Grace Szymchack gave birth early to Annabelle on Dec. 6, the Traverse City resident was determined to attend her graduation ceremony at Ferris State University, WZZM-TV reported.
Szymchack, 24, walked across the stage to receive her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, magna cum laude, with her 10-day daughter neatly tucked into her graduation gown, according to the television station.
"I’d worked hard for this degree, and I was determined to walk with the rest of my class … so I just brought her to graduation with me,” said Grace Szymchack. https://t.co/asS5YiRcp9
— 13 On Your Side (@wzzm13) December 18, 2023
According to a news release from the university, Szymchack said Annabelle “decided to come early.”
“But I’d worked hard for this degree, and I was determined to walk with the rest of my class,” she said. “So I just brought her to graduation with me.”
The new graduate and new baby were cheered on by her husband, Caleb, their 18-month daughter Isabelle and the rest of her family, the university said.
“I kind of hope it inspires another mom to go back to school and show that she can do it too,” Szymchack told WZZM.
Szymchack, a lifelong resident of Traverse City, has juggled classes and parenting over the past six years, according to the television station.
She is teaching full-time at a Strong Beginnings program working with preschoolers, according to the university.
“I love working with the littles the best,” she said. “I feel like I can really make an impact there.”
Szymchack enrolled at the Ferris State Student Success Hub in Traverse City at Northwestern Michigan College in 2019.
Now that she has earned her bachelor’s degree, Szymchack said she is looking forward to a long career in education. And a day when Annabelle will also walk the stage to receive her degree.
“I hope to see her walk across the stage one day too,” Szymchack told WZZM. “Whichever college or university she chooses -- without me having to carry her.”
