Natasha S. Alford took a part-time sabbatical from her job as a journalist at TheGrio and went back to school for a master's degree. Aside from juggling work and life at home with her toddler son and fiance, she was finishing a memoir, "American Negra," which explores the intersectionality of race and culture as an Afro-Latina woman. Alford has also tried to stay on top of her physical health too, dealing with lupus, a long-term autoimmune disease.

It all culminated on Monday, May 27, when Alford graduated from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs with a master's degree in public policy and a certificate in urban policy.

But what made commencement extra special for Alford was that her 3-year-old son Julian joined her on stage and gave his mom her master's hood – a moment caught on camera and which Alford shared on TikTok Wednesday in a now-viral post.