If you think graduating from college is difficult, imagine graduating from college while enduring birth contractions—because that’s exactly what happened to Anshonarial Greenhouse last week.
She was all set to walk across the stage and receive her diploma from Louisiana State University of Alexandria, when the 31-year-old mother went into labor.
Despite being in pain from the contractions, Greenhouse insisted she wanted to walk across the stage. Not only did she want to complete the symbolic ceremony for her own satisfaction, she also wanted to show her daughter the power of determination and education.
“She understands how important education is,” Greenhouse told USA Today. “If she sees me doing my work, she does hers. It’s showing her versus telling her.”
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The short journey across the stage was not an easy one. Though the university had a wheelchair and ambulance at the ready, and doctors were under advisement, Greenhouse walked across the stage helped only by a school staffer. Immediately after crossing the stage, however, she gratefully got into the wheelchair and was taken to the hospital where she gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
This was not the first time that her son had interfered with her school work. Since Greenhouse had prematurely gone into labor during the final weeks of the semester, she had to complete her exams from the hospital. She even used a web cam to live-stream herself doing her visual presentations while she was in a hospital gown.
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But after everything she went through, she says that she was glad to be able to have two of her dreams come true on the same day.
“It was rough walking across that stage,” said Greenhouse. “I knew it was a possibility I couldn’t walk, but I really pushed to be able to go.”
(WATCH the video below or our international viewers can watch the footage on the CBS News website) – Photo by LSUA
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