by College Student Misses ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ To Give Birth, Gets Special Celebration
A day before her ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ at Guilford College as an English major and a German minor she gave birth to her son Milo.
Two weeks from her due date, Juliet Smith was sitting with her family and friends at a restaurant the night before college ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ when she felt surprise labor. She gave birth three weeks early.
Smith told that her water broke on Friday evening when she had dinner with her family, But she had to be at her Guilford College ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ at 7:30 the next morning, and she wasn’t due until June 9. As she stood to leave for the hospital, flanked by her fiance and her best friend, a neighboring table of students realized what was happening and started cheering.
By 11:57 that night, baby Milo was born. He was 5 pounds, 7 ounces. But Smith missed her commencement ceremony.
“I was kind of bummed out all morning sitting in my hospital bed and at the same time couldn’t be that upset because he was so perfect, Even though I was initially upset about ᴍɪssɪɴɢ ɢʀᴀᴅᴜᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, I came to peace with the fact that I wouldn’t’t be there as soon as I heard Milo’s cry when he was born. Nothing else mattered at that point” she said.
Unknown to Smith a surprise was heading her way. Her professors and deans from Guilford College came to meet Smith in her hospital room and gave her own private graduate ceremony. Then something even more magical happened: a professor brought a tuba to play “Pomp and Circumstance” (followed by “Happy Birthday” for Milo), another professor pushed her down an aisle in a wheelchair for a processional as the nurses cheered on, someone brought refreshments and a cheesecake.
“It was really incredibleI still cant even believe that it happened.” Smith said
