After 9 Months Away, Navy Mom Surprises Son at High School Graduation

Petty Officer 2nd Class Vera Turner was there to see her son, Steven Turner, Jr., graduate from Bryant High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday morning. The best part about the moment, however, was that he was not expecting it.


Turner, who has served in the U.S. Navy for 16 years, decided a month ago to plan a surprise visit to watch her son graduate. She didn't even let her husband in on the idea. But school staffers were more than willing to accommodate the mother in her heartwarming reunion, sneaking her in to wait in the tunnels where the graduation was held and holding Steven's diploma presentation until the very end of the ceremony so that her reveal would not interrupt the other students graduating.

Turner joined her son on stage to present him with his high school diploma. "It means so much to me, the whole world," Steven said. "It was a big finale, I loved it."
's son has a scholarship to Alabama A&M, where he plans to major in electrical engineering. Turner has said the commitment he showed to his schoolwork in high school surprised her and so she crafted this special moment to show him how proud she was of his hard work.