Witnessing the graduation of your child is a proud moment for any parent, but it’s a rare event when two family members have the opportunity to walk the stage together. For Peggy Chroniger, this dream became a reality as she received her degree next to her daughter Elianna.

When her husband became unable to work after being declared legally blind, Peggy knew the responsibility of better supporting her family was a top priority, so while her daughter Elianna was in the process of completing her Master of Business Administration, Peggy enrolled in Houghton Online to fulfill her newfound encouragement to go back to college to finish her degree.

“It was an honor to share this experience with my daughter,” reflected Peggy. “She was a great support through all of my work, even when she was working harder than me to finish her own”.

Though Peggy and Elianna were pursuing different degrees, they made sure to find opportunities to work side by side to encourage each other, often sitting together in their church’s basement for their separate video lectures. Only adding to the unique experience, Peggy’s degree required the completion of a basic accounting class, that of which her daughter, Elianna, was the instructor. “I think it was harder for her to have her mother as a student than for me to have my daughter as a professor,” Peggy jokingly mentioned.

From Elianna’s perspective, her main challenge was in teaching and learning during the initial pandemic shutdown. Having just gotten married, she was finishing her second to last semester of the MBA program while learning how to teach her undergrad classes virtually. “It really stretched my abilities as I balanced the workload of both my degree and my courses,” noted Elianna.

But through the challenges, doubts, course loads, and surrounding circumstances, both Peggy and Elianna were rewarded with walking the stage this month, receiving their respected degrees together. Today, Peggy and Elianna continue to grow their relationship, sharing their workplace of Houghton University, Elianna as the Assistant Professor of Accounting, Peggy as Manager of the Houghton University Post Office.