A mom and daughter are both graduating from college together!
According to People, 21-year-old Laila Birchett and 43-year-old Latonya Johnson graduated from Rutgers School of Social Work.
Johnson is a divorced mom of six.
She revealed to WABC that before Rutgers, she raised her kids while taking part-time classes and working full-time.
Birchett then suggested they go to school together.
The Mom and Daughter Enrolled Together
The mom and daughter joined college together in 2022.
Johnson was pleased with this move because it brought the mom and daughter closer together.
“It’s kind of surreal but it has brought us closer because we connected on a level that I never thought I’d connect with my kids.”
Rutgers revealed that Birchett wanted to do an educational program that entailed helping others, including the elderly and the homeless.
In college, the mom and daughter both shared one teacher despite having different classes.
They also supported each other, as Birchett revealed.
“There were times when I struggled through school. But I always thought if my mom can do it, I can.”
Johnson also had kind words for the Rutgers community for supporting her.
“College is my lifeline. The same way it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to support a nontraditional student.”
And the mom and daughter are not done.
They will enroll in Rutgers’ Master of Social Work program, which has left Birchett ecstatic.
“Her journey has been truly inspiring. It’s encouraged me to work harder in college.”
