Twenty-four-year-old Grace Szymchack had planned to graduate on Friday, December. 15, and have a C-section to deliver her baby, Annabelle, on Monday, December. 18. Those plans changed when Annabelle came early on December. 6. But Szymchack had no intention of missing commencement.
"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."
Szymchack received her bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education with ten-day-old Annabelle tucked inside her graduation gown.
"I hope to see her walk across the stage one day too," said Szymchack, "whichever college or university she chooses....without me having to carry her."
Photo credit: Ferris State/Andrew Schmidt