A group of siblings surprised their mom, who dropped out of high school as a single parent, by gifting her all their diplomas to thank her for her sacrifices and for emphasizing education.
Tanisha Horne, 49, from Jacksonville, Florida, was a teen mom and didn’t finish high school, focusing all her energy on raising her “cubs” emphasizing education to them.
Over time, her three eldest children – Tai, 33, Elbony, 31, and Derrick, 22 – all followed their mom’s advice, earning their high school diplomas.
And with the last of the four children, Ferrara, 18, set to graduate, the siblings decided to think of a surprise to thank their mom for all she had done for them.
They settled on presenting Tanisha with all their diplomas and, having sourced a frame on Amazon, decided to present it to her on Ferrara’s big day.
Having unwrapped the gift at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena, Tanisha couldn’t help proudly smiling and shaking with excitement as she looked at the marks of achievement staring back at her.
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Tai, who captured the moment on video, then shared the clip on social media, where it received more than a million views.
She said: “I was filled with so many different emotions because I pretty much grew up with my mom, and she is my best friend, so to see her open that gift and start crying just made me so proud.
“I knew I was one of the reasons for those tears because for a single mom to get all four of her kids across that stage with no kids and in good health means a lot.
“It made me think about all the long nights and hard times, but, in the end, it was all worth it.
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“I didn’t think the video would go viral like it did – I was just trying to share this moment for all the single moms, to let them know not to give up.
“One day, your kids will make you proud and let you know it was all worth it.
“But to see strangers show so much love for me and my family made me feel really touched.
“I hope this video opens many people’s eyes – and not just for single moms but single dad’s as well.”