On Saturday, April 25, 2015, Shannon Woods is graduating with a degree in health education from UAB. In the same ceremony, her mother, Kirsten Woods is graduating with a psychology degree. (Photo courtesy UAB/Steve Wood)
 

Throughout Shannon Cheryl Woods' life, she and her mother, Kirsten, have shared struggles and memories. This weekend they will share a stage as both women graduate from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

"We've been close my whole life," said Woods, 23. "She's my best friend. I come to her with everything. We've always been a team, so it's funny that we're graduating together... because we've always done everything together."

On Saturday morning, Shannon Woods is graduating with a degree in health education from the School of Education's Department of Human Studies and a minor in nutrition. Kirsten Woods, 43, is graduating with a psychology degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.

Shannon took classes on campus for her college career, while Kirsten took every class online from her home in Frisco, Texas.

"There was just something about UAB that really caught my eye," Shannon said. "I didn't know anything about any schools in Alabama."

Shannon's parents met when her father was stationed in Germany with the Air Force. Her mother had taken some college classes but left school when the family moved to the U.S.

During Shannon's father's 24-year military career, Kirsten worked here and there but kept her focus on her two kids. They moved to several different states and weren't always near family members who could help with the kids.

"She was always really focused on her kids," Shannon said. "She really wanted to be involved in our lives, so working and going to school would take away from that."

Kirsten began taking classes about a year after her daughter enrolled at UAB. Shannon was excited for and proud of her mom.

"I was nervous because I knew how hard it was," Shannon said. "I was very proud of her because it's not an easy school to begin with, but combine that with English being your second language... I'm just amazed. She has a better GPA than me, better grades than me and English is my first language. That made me look up to her even more, the fact that she accomplished that."

On Saturday night, the family will celebrate together. After that, both women will look toward their next steps.

Shannon works in an internship at UAB HealthSmart and plans to work in community health education for several years before returning to school to study nursing. Kirsten plans to pursue a master's degree in psychology.

The two are among at least 2,724 students set to graduate this spring. Two commencement ceremonies – the first at 9:30 a.m., the second at 2 p.m. – and a doctoral hooding are taking place Saturday.

Also among those graduating is Ameen Barghi, UAB's third-ever Rhodes Scholar.

While attending Oak Mountain High School, he began volunteering at UAB hospital. He has worked in the lab of a world-renowned neuroscientist and will attend Oxford University in the fall before returning to UAB for medical school.

Each ceremony includes an undergraduate and graduate speaker, and Barghi will speak at the morning commencement ceremony.

Seating is first-come, first-served, with doors opening an hour before each ceremony. They will be recorded and posted online for viewing in about a week.

For more information about this weekend, visit uab.edu/news or uab.edu/commencement.

Read about some of the honors, awards, scholarships and fellowships garnered by the graduates here.