Graduation ceremonies are expected to be a family affair.

But for Grace Szymchack, one family member wasn’t supposed to arrive until after she graduated.

Instead, her unborn daughter, who was scheduled to be born three days later via C-section, made an early appearance on Dec. 6th.

 “The doctor made it sound like she didn’t think I was going to make it to the 18th so we were just hoping that she’d come either early enough that I could still walk right after graduation,” Szymchack said.

So the new mother made a different sort of plan for her commencement ceremony – she baby-wrapped the 10 day old Annabelle and tucked her carefully beneath her graduation gown.

Then she walked with her other classmates and received her early childhood education diploma from Ferris State University in Michigan.

“It was just important for me to walk because I’ve been working on this degree for a long time,” Szymchack explained.

And with lots of support from my husband and family, I was just determined to actually walk and I just wasn’t ready to leave [Annabelle] with anyone yet.”

“My mom, the day before, said, ‘Just wear her on you, underneath your gown. No one will notice. It’ll be OK,’ ” Szymchack said. “So I just kept her with me.”

Grace Szymchack brought her 10-day-old daughter Annabelle with her to her Ferris State University graduation ceremony. Photo courtesy of Ferris State University

The beaming mother said Annabelle handled the entire event like a pro.

“She was really chill. She slept the whole time. No fussing or anything,” Szymchack said.

She said that most people didn’t even notice that she had her daughter with her. Photos show the infant’s head peeking out just a tiny bit from between the robes.

Szymchack said that having her infant there while she graduated meant more to her than she could have imagined. She told her school officials that it was symbolic of how she had spent the past six years working as both a mother, to her newborn as well as a young daughter at home, and as a student and a wife.

Caleb Szymchack, Grace Szymchack and their daughters Isabelle, left, and Annabelle. Photo courtesy of the Szymchack family

She hopes that when people hear about her story, especially other mothers, they might look into finishing their own degrees or even begin work on earning one.

Szymchack said her goal now that she has a Bachelor’s degree is to become a teacher.

I love working with the littles the best … I feel like I can really make an impact there,” she said.

But, Szymchack said, someday she’d like to earn a Master’s degree but would wait until her kids were a bit older. 

After all, then they could attend the ceremony sitting beside their dad!

Watch below for a look at this amazing mother and her brand-new baby girl!

Sources: Good Morning America | People