Mother-daughter pair received their Baylor diplomas together at Winter Commencement

When Tammy Havens moved to Waco with her husband and children in 2004 and began working for Baylor, she had thoughts of taking advantage of the university’s tuition remission benefit to take classes for herself. But with a full-time job as an administrative assistant, she only had time to take one class each semester.

In 2006, she took the plunge — and in 2014, her daughter, Shandin, joined her at Baylor. Saturday, the mother-daughter pair graduated together with a matching pair of business degrees — Mom with a focus in real estate, Daughter with a degree in accounting.

[SEE photos from Winter Commencement: Morning ceremony || Afternoon ceremony]

It wasn’t easy. Tammy’s marriage ended unexpectedly in 2008, and Shandin’s marriage also ended a few years later. And while Tammy worked full-time in the business school, Shandin juggled a full course load, a 30-hour-a-week job, and single-parent responsibilities for her six-year-old son. But leaning on one another, their passion and determination carried the duo through.

“I gave Shandin a painting that features this quote: ‘Discover what it is that makes you passionate, then grab a firm hold. Cherish it proudly, and guard it with great determination.’ I would say that is exactly what we have been doing,” Tammy says.

Degrees in hand, Tammy says she’ll continue her work in Baylor’s Department of Communications with an eye towards perhaps starting a business someday. Shandin plans to pursue her master’s of accountancy in the future and become a CPA.

“To me, [graduating with my daughter] was one of the most amazing and proud moments in my life,” Tammy says. “I wasn’t sure how my daughter would feel graduating at the same time as her mom, but to my surprise, she was excited about it. One part of me wanted to just sit there and watch my daughter walk across that stage. I wanted it to just be her moment and all about her. At the same time, I wanted to make her proud, and I felt really honored that she didn’t mind sharing that special day with me.”

Sic ’em, Tammy and Shandin!