A graduation ceremony is always a big moment for parents and families, but one mother was given an honorary degree at Chapman University for her above-and-beyond commitment to her son’s goals.
Judy O’Connor attended every single class with her son quadriplegic son, Marty O’Connor, taking notes for him through every class so that he could get his MBA.
Knowing that she dedicated as much time as a regular student to help her son, the school pointed her out at the ceremony as a “special individual” and surprised her by announcing that she would be getting an honorary MBA alongside her son. The announcer of the event choked up as she explained this surprise.
“Mrs. Judith O’Connor has attended all the classes with her son Marty,” the announcer explained to the crowd. “She has taken notes and worked with Marty throughout his academic career.”
The idea originally came from her son, and the administration and faculty quickly agreed.
Marty, who grew up in Anaheim Hills, and his family have been through a lot together since he a fall down the stairs left him physically disabled. For a long time after that, he had to devote himself to physical therapy. After that, he started to think about how to move on in his life to the next step- graduate school became the next focus.
His mother was living in Florida at the time teaching, but she quickly came down to be by his side and decided that nothing would hold him back.
He soon after got into Chapman, along with receiving a $10,000 annual scholarship from Swim With Mike, an organization that was created in honor of USC All-American swimmer Mike Nyeholt, an athlete that was paralyzed from a motorcycle accident in 1981.
Once he was in, Judy knew she had to help him when voice recognition software and the various other aids he was using couldn’t help him with notes and writing test answers.
“As a mom, you just want to help your kids get through things,” Judy O’Connor later told KTLA news. “I always believed in him. I knew he could do it and I just wanted to have his back.”
As for the college experience herself? She seemed to love being back in the classroom.
“I’m a geek. I love being in school,” she finally noted to the Chapman University blog. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
Whatever life throws our way, it’s moments like this that show us that love, education, and perseverance can truly get us through anything. Congrats to both Judy and Marty!
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