For most people, when you graduate college, you just get a diploma. And for some, you walk away with your first job offer.

But for one brand-new graduate, when she walked offstage, not only did she have that brand-new diploma, she also had a brand new job and title.

She was going to become a mom. 

Kelsey Hudie, a 27-year-old first-time mom, wasn’t going to let being 38 weeks pregnant and dilated keep her from walking across the stage to receive her associate’s degree from Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Mich. 

Although Hudie was offered the option to skip walking at graduation, she was determined to receive her diploma in person. “That wasn’t going to stop me from walking across the stage,” she said. Accommodating Hudie, the school moved her to the front of the order of recipients so she could get to the hospital in time to give birth.

“I hope you will allow me to quickly move through one degree before we do the rest of you all,” Henry Ford College President Russell A. Kavalhuna announced before the ceremony.

“When we bring people through Henry Ford College, they’ve got grit. They’ve got perseverance,” Kavalhuna said, according to ABC News.

And this student has told me, and us, ‘I’m going to walk across that stage despite the fact that I am 38 weeks pregnant. I am dilated, and I can’t wait for you, Russ, and your friends to talk for an hour-and-a-half, so I need to graduate quickly.'”

Hudie at her graduation. Photo courtesy of the Hudie family

Hudie’s personal drive and tenacity led her to complete her degree while working full-time as a paraprofessional at a local elementary school, even taking online courses in her final trimester to avoid traveling to and from classes. Despite facing many obstacles, she said, “If anybody is going through the same thing, I hope that they don’t give up.”

Hudie’s experience has inspired others, and the crowd at her graduation ceremony cheered loudly as she walked across the stage, clutching her diploma and holding it aloft.

I didn’t really realize when I was walking across the stage with her in my belly that I’d be a big inspiration to others,” she said.

“They all were so polite,” Hudie said, and they let her “sit on the stage” so she didn’t have to “walk up and down a million sets of stairs.”

The new mom, who gave birth to her daughter Nylah hours after graduating, said she normally doesn’t like to “make a big show about things,” but since the school was willing to accommodate her, she thought “why not.”

Hudie’s daughter, Nylah. Photo courtesy of the Hudie family

Hudie recently celebrated her first Mother’s Day with her newborn baby girl, Nylah, and is already planning her next steps. She hopes to return to school to obtain her bachelor’s degree and become a full-time teacher. 

Hudie’s story is one of determination and commitment, demonstrating that nothing can stop someone from achieving their dreams if they put in the work and effort. And as Hudie put it, “I was determined.”

“I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I don’t remember wanting to do anything else,” she said. “If anybody is going through the same thing, I hope that they don’t give up.”

Watch Hudie’s amazing journey to graduation below.

Sources: People | Good Morning America