A mom in Michigan isn't letting anything stand in the way of her walking at her college graduation, even her newborn. Grace Szymchack, a 24-year-old mom, is going viral after she chose to wear her 10-day-old baby on her chest under her graduation gown so she could walk across the stage at her graduation ceremony.
More from Mom.com: Mom Takes Controversial Breast-Feeding Photo at Her Own Graduation Ceremony
Szymchack realized that sometimes you just have to change the plan
Szymchack thought she had everything planned out. Her graduation from Ferris State University was on Friday, December 15. And then on Monday, December 18, she was going to have a planned C-section. But her daughter Annabelle decided that she didn't want to wait — she was born on December 6.
"I’d worked hard for this degree, and I was determined to walk with the rest of my class," Szymchack told reporters for Ferris State University's website.
She was determined to walk at graduation
"It was really more of like we have to wait and see until Friday morning basically (to see) if I’m even feeling well enough to ride in a car after having a C-section. And I’m like, ‘No, I’m feeling great, I want to go,'" she told Michigan NBC affiliate WOOD-TV. "I was very determined."
She was nervous, of course, about being separated from her very new baby. "And my mom, the day before, said, ‘Just wear her on you underneath your gown. No one will notice. It’ll be OK.’ So I just kept her with me," she explained.
Annabelle was the perfect companion for the event
Szymchack strapped Annabelle to her chest, zipped up her gown, and prepared for one of the biggest days of her life. She told WOOD-TV that Annabelle was quiet during the ceremony, and largely stayed hidden.
"Beforehand, when we were in the ice skate arena waiting to go into the auditorium, I chatted with one other girl who was graduating, and she realized I had the baby, and so a whole lot of other people noticed and we chatted about it," she shared.
Szymchack hopes that others will follow her lead
"I kind of hope it inspires another mom to go back to school and show that she can do it too," she told ABC-10.
Szymchack had been working toward her degree for six years. In addition to Annabelle, she and her husband share an 18-month-old daughter. She is currently teaching preschoolers.
"I hope to see her walk across the stage one day too," Szymchack said of baby Annabelle. "Whichever college or university she chooses… without me having to carry her."
