This Beautiful Girl With Down Syndrome Just Graduated From College, And Her Dad Couldn't Be More Proud

"I am officially the proudest father on the planet. Fight me."

Stephanie

• Published in Interesting
• May 24, 2020

One of the most rewarding parts of being a parent is watching your child grow up and achieve the goals they set out to reach in life. Nothing makes a parent feel more proud than watching their child walk up on stage during their graduation ceremonies.

Of course, sadly, many of those ceremonies have been canceled this year due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. But even a canceled graduation ceremony can't stop a genuinely proud parent from celebrating the success of their pride and joy!

Some parents have organized graduation parties for their children via Zoom. Others have tried to replicate the whole graduation ceremony at home. And, of course, many have taken to social media to shout from the virtual rooftops about their kids' achievements. Some have even gone viral for doing just that!

Take Jay Handlin, for example.

Jay recently became the "proudest father on the planet," when his daughter, Rachel, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography & Media from California Institute of the Arts.

Jay posted about Rachel's achievement, and his tweet has since gained more than 220k likes and 19k retweets.

Jay is extra-proud because Rachel's achievement is no ordinary one. The beautiful young girl has Down Syndrome, and she achieved her goals despite it.

Rachel's achievement is unique because, out of the Down Syndrome population, only one person in a million successfully completes a higher degree program, according to the Pediatric Therapy Network.

Jay, who calls himself a "fierce father and a disability/inclusion zealot," has been supporting his daughter by sharing bits of her work to showcase her talent.

Jay's proud posts about his daughter moved others to share their congratulations to Rachel and their own beautiful children's stories.

Stephanie