A mom who attended every class with her quadriplegic son at Chapman University so she could take notes for him while he pursued his Master of Business Administration has been given an honorary degree by the California college. Judy O’Connor was surprised with the degree as she pushed her son’s wheelchair when he got his diploma.
The retired elementary school teacher was shocked when they announced at graduation that the university’s faculty, administrators, and board of trustees decided to award her an MBA. And they got the idea from her son, Marty.
He uses an iPad, laptop, voice-recognition software and a special mouth stylus to communicate, but he couldn’t take notes or write test answers, so mom stepped in to help. "I'm a geek. I love being in school," mama O’Connor says. "I'm not going to lie. I've enjoyed every minute of it."