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| Amy Woods hugs her mother Anne Woods |
Amy Woods’ father, Casey Woods, wore his favorite cowboy hat. Her daughter Pearl picked out a dress to wear. Amy’s sister, Ronda Fisher, drove 700 miles from her home in North Platte, Nebraska to see her “baby girl” graduate.
Anne Woods, Amy’s mother, was there too, joining an entire Woods cheering section to witness Amy walk across the stage in her cap and gown at the Maverik Center May 6 during Salt Lake Community College’s Commencement Day. “All right,” Casey yelled above the crowd as his daughter approached. The event was a long time coming, and it wasn’t without emotion.
Amy, who turns 40 in June, had children early. She graduated from high school in 2006 and started college in 2008. “And now here I am,” she said in front of her family after she and all the other SLCC graduates received their diplomas. “My mom really pushed me through this. She was my biggest support and help through all of it.”
With an associate’s degree in criminal justice in her back pocket, Amy has applied to a four-year school and hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in the same subject. She and her mom shed a few tears as they hugged, music blaring in the background, families and friends posing for photos with graduates, Pearl asking Mom to pick up blue and gold streamers off the ground for her.
Why did Anne push her daughter so hard? “Because I always knew she could do it,” she said, waterworks flowing. “I believed in her. Unless I had something urgent, I always made time for her whenever she needed help or encouragement.” Amy’s daughter Pearl, a third grader, is proud of Mom, who sometimes sat with her as they both did homework.
It was worth the long drive for her sister Ronda. “It was really exciting and so emotional,” she said about watching Amy walk across the stage in her commencement regalia. “It was thrilling to see all of the families encourage their students out here as well.” She paused to look at her sister. “I love her so much,” Ronda added. “I am so thrilled and overwhelmed, and really, really proud of her.”
Amy, who also works at SLCC as an administrative assistant in the college’s Institute of Public Safety, hopes someday to work in criminal forensics, possibly investigating crime scenes. Wiping away tears of joy, she said, “I’m just so glad and honored to be a part of SLCC.”
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