College Grad Misses Ceremony To Give Birth — School Makes It Up To Her With Awesome Surprise

Juliet Smith missed her college graduation. She had a legit reason. Her kid decided to go Shawshank Redemption and escape a few weeks before his parole.

Two weeks from her due date, Juliet Smith was sitting with her family and friends at a restaurant the night before college graduation when she felt a pop.

“Is this your salmon salad?” a waiter asked, unaware of the fact that his customer had just gone into labor as he held out a plate. Panicking, Smith looked up.

“No,” she said. Only it totally was her salmon salad.

I’d bail too if I knew salmon salad was on the menu. Smith was upset that she couldn’t make graduation but her newborn son Milo made her so happy it was impossible to be too bummed out.

In a completely classy move, the dean of students at Guilford College decided to hand-deliver her diploma but he didn’t go solo.

Guilford’s dean of students was going to stop by to hand-deliver Smith’s diploma, but 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.

Well played, Guilford. Well played.

[via ABC News]