Graduations are often a family affair.

And you almost always want your mom to be a part of it.

For one New York mother/daughter duo, this graduation was a bit unlike any other.

Because walking alongside graduate Tanisha Wiggins was her mother, who was also receiving her diploma.

Barbara Wiggins, 58, and Tanisha, 36, both attended the Onondaga Community College (OCC) in Syracuse, N.Y.

During the commencement ceremony, both mother and daughter received associate of science degrees in human service.

I’m extremely proud of her. I really look up to her,” Tanisha said.

“When I started school and [my mom] was going to school at the same time, that was really a proud moment for me,” she said. “Because I didn’t think she was gonna go to school right after she got her GED. She was like, ‘I’m going to college!’ I’m like, ‘Really?’ She’s like, ‘Yeah, I could do it!'”

Barbara Wiggins flanked by her daughters Alisha, left, and Tanisha, right, at the Onondaga Community College graduation ceremony. Photo by Onondaga Community College

Barbara, who previously worked as a doula, said she was inspired by all the other students who had succeeded by going to college.

“It was about just helping people and getting more educated,” said the mother of five and grandmother of 12.

“I didn’t finish high school so I had to go back to school to get my GED [diploma]. And I loved it,” Barbara added.

After she first enrolled at OCC, she was nervous.

“There was a kid in my class, 18 years old,” Barbara said. “I said, ‘I have a grandson that’s 18 years old.’ I said, ‘I’m old enough to be your grandmother.’ And we all just started laughing.”

But she said that through it all, it was the teachers, students and her family that were her biggest cheerleaders.

“At the beginning, my first semester, I had a professor named Tina May. She had everyone in the class get into groups every day, and we got to know each other asking each other questions, pretending to be a counselor. It was nice. It was wonderful. And that’s how I got to know everyone in my class,” she said. “So, I didn’t feel so out of place then, because she made it seem so easy.”

Mother-daughter duo Barbara and Tanisha Wiggins both attended Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Onondaga Community College

For Tanisha, it was a matter of her finally being ready to return to school. She had previously attended OCC when she was 18. 

“I was not ready at all. I was living in a [transitional] living program. I was diagnosed with a mental health diagnosis at a young age — depression,” Tanisha said. “I was in and out of the hospital, so that prevented me from finishing school because, like, every other month, I was in the hospital for the depression that I was experiencing.”

As Tanisha worked on getting her mental health stable, school was delayed. But once she had her children, who are now 2 and 1, she knew she needed to make a change.

“I decided to go back after I had kids, because I was like, I need to make a better future for them so that they can have a good role model to look up to,” Tanisha said.

Along with family and her professors, she said the college’s “Return to Complete” program  as well as the school’s on-site daycare helped her succeed.

“It was a lot for me but I did it with my mom’s support and the day care support. I was able to make it happen,” Tanisha said.

I’m so grateful they have that day care at that school because I don’t know what I would have done without them.”

The pair said that despite all the obstacles life had thrown at them, they hope their path to a degree helps others.

Despite the ups and downs, Barbara and Tanisha Wiggins hope others can take inspiration from their journeys.

“I didn’t give up because, you know, although my children have grown, I had grandchildren and I don’t want them to give up,” Barbara said. “I want them to know that if I could do this, you can do this.”

Watch below for a look at this amazing mom and daughter duo!

Sources: The Guardian | Good Morning America