{"id":1821,"date":"2026-05-10T08:00:40","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T08:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1821"},"modified":"2026-05-10T14:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T14:59:18","slug":"mother-daughter-graduation-moment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2026\/05\/10\/mother-daughter-graduation-moment\/","title":{"rendered":"More than a Graduation: A Mother and Daughter\u2019s Full-Circle Moment"},"content":{"rendered":"
For Toni Wooding, this spring\u2019s commencement at Marshall University was a moment decades in the making.<\/p>\n

\"Toni<\/p>\n

More than 30 years after earning her associate degree, Toni returned to the stage to celebrate the completion of her Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA). But this time, she wasn\u2019t alone. Her daughter, Markayla Moore, also graduated with her degree in Health Science and minors in psychology, business and sports management.<\/p>\n

For Toni, the moment was deeply personal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a full-circle moment,\u201d she said. \u201cNot only am I graduating, but I\u2019m graduating with my youngest child.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming from a long line of educators, Toni always understood the value of education. Her mother played a pivotal role in encouraging her to keep going.<\/p>\n

\n\t All four of my kids have graduated from college. Seeing them succeed gave me the push I needed to finish what I started.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Toni Wooding<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cShe always said, \u2018You pay for a car, eventually the car\u2019s going to wear out. You pay for your education, it\u2019ll be with you forever.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Toni\u2019s mother has since passed, Toni carries that advice with her every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest regret is that she didn\u2019t get to see me walk across the stage,\u201d Toni said.<\/p>\n

After earning her associate degree, Toni began working at the state department, expecting it to be a short stop along her journey. More than three decades later, she is now preparing to retire, this time with a new goal in mind: stepping into the classroom as a substitute teacher and continuing her family\u2019s legacy in education.<\/p>\n

The decision to return to school wasn\u2019t without its challenges. From adapting to new technology to balancing a full-time job, family responsibilities and coursework, Toni faced a steep learning curve.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything used to be paper and pencil,\u201d she said. \u201cNow everything is electronic and online.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Markayla<\/p>\n

Through it all, she found support in her program, and even found herself back on campus, often utilizing services in Drinko Library.<\/p>\n

But one of her greatest sources of motivation has been her children.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll four of my kids have graduated from college,\u201d she said. \u201cSeeing them succeed gave me the push I needed to finish what I started.\u201d<\/p>\n

For her daughter Markayla, that inspiration goes both ways.<\/p>\n

\n\t She worked full-time while earning her degree online, came to my track meets, and she has grandkids too. I don\u2019t know how she does it.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Markayla Moore <\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

A student-athlete on the track and field team, where she competes as a thrower, Markayla has spent her college years balancing academics, athletics and her social life. Now a senior, she feels confident managing it all, but she\u2019s still in awe of her mom.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe worked full-time while earning her degree online, came to my track meets, and she has grandkids, too,\u201d Markayla said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how she does it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond their own family, Markayla sees her mom\u2019s impact reaching even further.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s inspiring people in her friend group and her age group, and she probably doesn\u2019t even realize it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their shared experience at Marshall has strengthened an already close bond. That connection was especially evident as graduation approached. At one point, Toni wasn\u2019t sure she wanted to participate in the commencement ceremony, worried about taking away from her daughter\u2019s moment. But Markayla wouldn\u2019t let that happen.<\/p>\n

\"Markayla<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her, \u2018Walk across that stage, girl!\u2019\u201d Markayla said.<\/p>\n

With her daughter\u2019s encouragement, and reflecting on how far they\u2019ve both come, Toni made her decision. This weekend, they crossed the stage together.<\/p>\n

For Toni, the moment represented more than earning a degree. It represented perseverance, growth and honoring the people who helped shape her journey. For Markayla, it was a chance to celebrate not only her own accomplishments, but her mother\u2019s as well.<\/p>\n

Together, their story is a powerful reminder that it\u2019s never too late to chase your goals. Sometimes, the most meaningful part of your journey is who is by your side.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Toni Wooding, this spring\u2019s commencement at Marshall University was a moment decades in the making. More than 30 years after earning her associate degree, Toni returned to the stage to celebrate the completion of her Regents Bachelor of Arts (RBA). But this time, she wasn\u2019t alone. Her daughter, Markayla Moore, also graduated with her […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1821"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1845,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1821\/revisions\/1845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}