It was a day she was not always sure would ever arrive.
She was there to see her son, Ronald McAdams, 61, graduate from high school.
"I never gave up hope," she said. "It was always a promise that he was going to do it. It came true."
McAdams was among the 2019 class of the Philadelphia School District's Educational Options Program for students who didn't complete high school but are ready to go back.
"I just always had a burning desire to get my diploma," McAdams said after the ceremony. "It was just something that I wanted to feel and I finally experienced that feeling. It was an overwhelming feeling of excitement, of completion."
So did LaVern Davis, whom he describes as his "significant other." So did his daughter, Charita Lee.
McAdams says they also helped him conquer his fears when he joined the Educational Options Program and they were there for his graduation.
"I'm so very proud, today," said Lee. "The doors are wide open now for further success for him. The sky's the limit now."
McAdams feels that way too. He plans to enroll in a program to become a certified peer specialist to counsel addicts in recovery.
"I can be an example for someone coming behind me to know it's never too late," he said.
But the first thing on his mind was fulfilling a promise to his mother.
When he reconnected with her after the ceremony, he handed her a manila envelope. Inside was his diploma. She took it out and laughed.
"My diploma," she said.
McAdams beamed.
"I've been wanting to do this forever," he said.