Hats off to this duo.
Brandi Fields and her son Kyle graduated from Texas Christian University together on Friday, marking a very special this Mother’s Day weekend for the studious pair.
Donning matching purple Nike sneakers — one of the school’s colors — they both received their graduate diplomas at TCU’s first commencement ceremony solely for grad students.
“When we found out the graduate programs were in the same ceremony, that’s when it really hit home that we were going to really, truly be doing this together,” Brandi told CBS.
Kyle, 22, who received his master’s in liberal arts, was elated upon hearing that his 50-year-old, who earned an executive MBA, was heading back to college.
“When she was deciding to come back to school, especially at TCU, I couldn’t be more excited,” he told the outlet.
Brandi, her husband and younger son were living in California when Kyle headed off to attend TCU, a private university in Forth Worth. But after her mother died in 2020, the family decided to pick up and move closer to Kyle.
The doting mom of two said her pals thought Kyle wouldn’t be happy with the news that his mom would be joining him on campus.
“I think more of my friends were like, ‘Oh no, Kyle is going to kill you. First you’re moving there, now you’re going to his school,’” Brandi continued, laughing.
They were wrong, because for Kyle — who earned a bachelor’s in communication studies from TCU in 2023 — seeing his mom hit the books served as a motivator for him.
“When I see her come home from work and she’s doing her homework right away, I’m like, ‘I’ve got to follow in her footsteps,’” he continued.
The feeling is mutual.
“When you see him like adulting and doing all the things, I’m like, ‘Wow.’ That’s what really brought it home for me — like, we’re really doing this together. So it made me even more proud to be able to experience this part of it,” Brandi gushed to the outlet.
The working mom hopes she inspires others in her place to achieve their dreams.
“I think that’s important for moms — that we still have to be taking care of ourselves and continuing to grow and challenge ourselves,” she said. “So I would say just do it, you know?”
The uniqueness of their joint accomplishment is not lost on the twosome.
“Not everybody gets to say that they were able to go to school at the same time as their mom, especially at a master’s degree level,” Kyle said.
“To walk the stage together, especially on Mother’s Day weekend, is an incredible and meaningful moment for our family,” Brandi added, in an interview with TCU.
As for the matching Nike kicks, Kyle said that decision was a no-brainer.
“Shoes are definitely in my wheelhouse,” Kyle told WFAA, a TV station in Dallas.
“I thought it would be cool to get her a pair and a pair for me. We can bond and walk together across the stage.”
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