Graduation season is here! Families around the country are coming together to celebrate their student’s hard work and perseverance in order to earn a college degree. Some may even say graduation honors students and their parents, who have been by their side during their college careers. One mother and daughter from Texas have forged an academic partnership that has led them to earn a master’s degree and graduate together with top honors.
On May 11, 50-year-old Alissa Meyer and her daughter Elizabeth, 25, both received a Master of Social Work degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. Both women also earned a 4.0 GPA for their efforts.
The university shared photos of the mother/daughter pair receiving their degrees on graduation day.
The May 11 graduation was actually the third time they walked at graduation together and the fifth time they earned degrees simultaneously, according to a university press release. Their previous degrees include a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, as well as three associate degrees from Central Texas College.
Alissa told OLLU she has cherished the time studying with her daughter and that was was an honor for her.
“It’s an amazing feeling for me,” she said in the press release. “It’s a super proud mom moment to be able to do that. Not a lot of people can say they graduated with their child or children.”
While many students may not love the idea of sharing their college experience with their moms, Elizabeth said not only is she grateful for the experience, but her classmates loved having her mom around, too.
“She’s my best friend,” she told the university. “All our classmates call her ‘mom.'”
Alissa and Elizabeth lived in a campus apartment together and worked together as pharmacy technicians as well, keeping their partnership going beyond the classroom.
They have stuck by one another’s side for years, including when they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Channel 3 News/WOAI reported the mother and daughter moved to a hotel room in Killeen, Texas, and lived there for three years after the storm.
Now, things are certainly brighter for this hard-working duo. After a one-year break, they plan to return to school to begin their Ph.D. in leadership studies at Our Lady of the Lake University.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
