Photo: Candace N Hall/ Twitter
What better way to celebrate an academic milestone than with a dance?
Candace Hall’s three kids wanted to do something extra special for their mother after she successfully defended her dissertation at Maryville University in Missouri on Sept. 17. So, they choreographed a group dance and performed right in the hallway outside a conference room just moments after Hall got the good news.
“After I came out of the room … when I turned the corner, the kids were lined up and they started dancing. I was so caught off guard,” Hall, 31, tells PEOPLE. “The dance with the posters and the balloons, it was like, ‘Wow!’ There were cupcakes! I was speechless. It was incredible.”
Candace Hall with children Bailey (right), Edwyn (back) and Avery (front center).Candace N Hall
In aviral video of the performance, Hall’s children — Edwyn, 7, Bailey, 6, and Avery, 4 — are shown sporting wide smiles as they show off their dance moves. Then the kids each hold up signs for Hall before running to give her a hug.
“I was surprised and so happy. I was shocked they were actually able to keep this all a secret because my kids talk a lot!” Hall tells PEOPLE. “I was so proud.”
She latershared a family photowith her children and husband, 32-year-old Dorian Hall. She says she had no clue what the kids were up to, especially after they sat silently for half-an-hour as she defended her research.
“They sat still and completely quiet for 30 minutes!” Hall says. “Afterward, my [advisor] said, ‘I don’t know what you did. I don’t know if you bribed them! They did so well!’ ”
Hall began working on her dissertation in May 2017, studying higher education leadership and exploring the job satisfaction of minoritized faculty members at the country’s predominantly white research institutions. She says it has been a long road, and her mother-in-law Edna Aldridge has always stepped up to help out the family as Hall pursued her Doctorate in Education.
With that, her children wanted to come up with a unique way to celebrate their mother’s success — especially after cheering for Hall throughout her academic journey.
“For them to be able to witness this whole process is so incredible,” she says. “When I talked to my oldest son about it, he said, ‘I’m so proud of you!’ He said, ‘You did it! Mom, I’m so proud. You’re the best.’ ”
“It’s been overwhelming. I told my oldest son, ‘Edwyn! The tweet went viral,’ ” Hall recalls. “They were all like, ‘Whoa! This is so cool! People know who we are!’ It’s been exciting for the kids.”
source: people.com
