LAFAYETTE, LA (KLAF/NBC News) One father-daughter duo created a memory they will cherish forever at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.
Deron Santiny and Haley Fox walked across the graduation stage together Friday.
Santiny was enrolled at U-L Lafayette in the 1990s, but his college degree was put on hold when he joined the military and was deployed to Iraq. After leaving the military on medical leave, Santiny decided to enroll in classes and finish school.
His daughter Haley was already enrolled. The pair never planned on graduating together.
“It’s been a lot, it’s been overwhelming. He’s not going to talk about it, but he cried the whole time this morning, and it finally hit me once we were on stage and it’s sweet, it’s precious, it’s indescribable,” she says.
Fox had a full time job on top of her course load. but, all those sleepless nights and hours of course work came down to- a father and daughter reaching a milestone, together.
“It’s overwhelming i mean no one can take his degree and no one can take mine or the moment we shared together on stage.”