Most parents only get to watch their child walk across the stage at the end of their college careers, but Jim Clements, the president of Clemson University, got to personally oversee his daughter’s graduation.
When Clements’ daughter Grace graduated in May from the university’s ClemsonLIFE program — a program that teaches independence and job skills to students with intellectual disabilities — her father was the one to hand her the diploma. Overcome with excitement, she jumped into a hug so strong it sent them both to the ground.
“I didn’t know Grace was going to come sprinting across the stage, but it was absolutely magical when she leaped into my arms,” Jim Clements said on “The Kelly Clarkson Show.” “I didn’t catch her — I wish I had — but I had the chance to give her the biggest hug and tell her that I love her and that I’m proud of her.”