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An Arlington family has a lot to celebrate.
Carolyn Wade says she was terrified of returning to school after so many years, and with the help of two of her children, she cast aside her fear and forged ahead. Saturday, she reached a milestone, graduating right alongside her son and daughter.
The Fort Worth Coliseum hosted the nearly 5,000 graduates of the Tarrant County College System. But Wade and her children are standouts, not just for their academic achievement, but for what they are doing as a family.
“Mom had been out of work for 18 years raising me and my twin brother and when my father passed, nobody would hire her because she didn't really have any experience and so she jumped back in after I did,” said Nathan Wade.
All three were allowed to cross the stage together, starting with Nathan, his mother and sister Christina Cannon. All received Associates of Arts degrees.
"It is totally amazing! I'm very proud of both of my children and then we got to walk together makes it an extra special day,” said Carolyn.
"We've been working on this day for a while, going to school together, taking classes together, just pushing each other through and it's finally paid off together today it's just amazing,” said Christina.
"I sort of lingered on stage because I wanted to be with my mom and sister. They were gracious enough to let us walk together," said Nathan.
With degrees in hand, all three offered words of wisdom.
"The minute you say never that's the minute you give up. So, never say never. Anything is possible," said Carolyn.
"You can always go back and better yourself and get to where you want to be,” said Christina.
"Your fear of looking stupid is holding you back. And that got me through 2 years and got me two degrees pushing through," said Nathan.
All three have realized the Tarrant County College motto: “Success within reach”.
Carolyn says she’s going to look for a job, get settled and continue her education.
Her son, Nathan, is enrolled in UTA and working on an architecture degree. His sister, Christina, plans to attend UTA and get a masters in accounting.