Anyone who has finally completed their education looks forward to graduation day.
One’s loved ones come together to celebrate their accomplishment. But the joy was multiplied for this mother-daughter team because of what they had accomplished together.
Together, a mother and daughter from the same family graduated from East Carolina University’s registered nurse program. This is the first time something similar has occurred, said the institution.
“At first they thought we were sisters, and then I would have to explain that I was the mom, and we were doing it together,” Jessica Van Wagenen shared.
Van Wagenen, a former marine who is now retired, claimed that she postponed her aspirations in order to raise her daughters. But now, as luck would have it, she started pursuing those goals once more, and her daughter did the same.
“I always thought the girls needed some sort of stability because we were always picking up, moving, and with their dad kind of in and out all the time,” the mother said. “So, I decided to forgo my college and focus on giving the children as much stability as possible and stayed home with them.”
Keelin Van Wagenen, her daughter, expressed her pride in her mother for not giving up on her ambitions.
“I tell her every day that I’m proud of her and she continued to do what she wanted to do,” the proud daughter said.
The careers of both women have already started. Keelin, Jessica’s daughter, works as a pediatric nurse at ECU Health while Jessica works as an operating room nurse for Carteret Healthcare.
