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Michigan woman attends graduation ceremony while in labor
One graduate was in a bigger hurry than most to receive her diploma from Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan, on May 6, as she attended a commencement ceremony while in labor with her first child. (Credit: Henry Ford College via Storyful)
One college student out of Michigan got to skip ahead of the line to receive her diploma during her graduation ceremony but not for the reason one might think.
Kelsey Hudie was allowed to receive her diploma a tad earlier than everyone because she was in labor.
The mother-to-be was 38 weeks pregnant but her baby couldn’t wait any longer.
In a video taken during the ceremony at Henry Ford College on May 6, Russell Kavalhuna, the school’s president, announced to the graduates that one of their peers would need to be making a speedier exit.
Still image taken from video during the Henry Ford College graduation ceremony on May 6 showing Kelsey Hudie receiving her diploma while in labor. (Henry Ford College via Storyful)
"When we bring people through Henry Ford College, they’ve got grit, and they’ve got perseverance, and this student has told me and us, ’I’m gonna walk across that stage, despite the fact that I am 38 weeks pregnant, I am dilated, and I can’t wait for you, Russ, and your friends to talk for an hour and a half, so I need to graduate quickly.’ And so what do you think I said? There’s a few things more important than a college degree, and that’s the thing she’s gotta get to," Kavalhuna said.
Hudie could then be seen walking across the stage and receiving her diploma as a lullaby played in the background.
"On the Tuesday before we graduated, they said that I was dilated two or three times, so that wasn’t going to stop me from walking across the stage. I even said if I had her before the walk, I was just going to hold her in my arms and walk across that stage," Hudie told Click on Detroit.
Hudie welcomed her baby girl, Nyla, following the ceremony and plans to become a teacher, according to local news media.
This story was reported from Los Angeles. Storyful contributed to this report.