Daughter surprises mom with cap and gown she didn't get to wear over 40 years ago
When Miranda Turner graduated from law school in May, she had a special surprise for her beloved mom.
On the day after Mother's Day, Turner, along with her older brother and sister, surprised their mother Pamela Martin-Turner with the doctoral tam and gown she never got to wear on the occasion of her own law school graduation 42 years ago.
Turner, 27, documented the surprise in a now-viral Instagram reel, showing her mom opening a delivery box containing the black and purple regalia of The George Washington University Law School, from which her mom graduated in 1982.
Miranda Turner and her siblings surprised their mom Pamela Martin-Turner with the cap and gown she never got to wear when she graduated from law school.Courtesy of Miranda Turner
Martin-Tuner quickly grows emotional in the video. "This is the best thing ever," she says, after seeing herself wearing the cap and gown in the mirror.
Martin-Tuner told "Good Morning America" that she was "so surprised" when she saw what her children had arranged for her.
"I was so moved by it all, because I obviously had an unhealed part of my heart that felt bad about what happened when I was in law school, so what the children did here really helped to heal that part of my heart," the 66-year-old mom of three said.
Miranda Turner is following in her mother’s footsteps to law school and soon, into a legal career.Courtesy of Calik Wright
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Martin-Turner explained to "GMA" that she had been in a car accident before her law school graduation in the spring of 1982, which led to her failing a class. This, in turn, meant she wouldn't be able to walk at her spring commencement ceremony, a policy which GW Law confirmed was the case at the time.
"I never saw the cap and gown and never wore it or anything, and it was a real disappointment to me at the time. I felt really, really ashamed because I had failed this class," Martin-Turner said.
Despite missing the opportunity to walk at her law school graduation, Martin-Turner was able to complete her pending credits and was awarded her law degree in September 1982, according to GW Law. She then went on to pursue a career in tax law for years before becoming the director of a Detroit-based nonprofit.
The Turner family celebrated Miranda Turner’s law school graduation in May 2024.Courtesy of Miranda Turner
"I had told the children this story over the years partially so that they could always try their hardest and make sure they had everything in order and all their ducks in a row, because you don't want to get disappointed at the last minute," Martin-Turner said.
The story stuck with Turner and her siblings, and Turner knew when she was graduating from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law that it would be the perfect time to also surprise their mom with not just the regalia but with a special mother-daughter photoshoot at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Miranda Turner graduated from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in May 2024. Her mom, Pamela Martin-Turner, graduated from The George Washington University Law School in September 1982.Courtesy of Miranda Turner
"I wanted her to be able to have that feeling, because when I first tried on my cap and gown, I was just so happy and giddy, and I jumped around in it," the 27-year-old graduate said.
"My mom really deserves the world," Turner added. "She's poured everything into us, and so this was just a moment that we wanted to pour back into her."
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On May 17, both mom and daughter celebrated their achievements together. Both said the memories they made were priceless.
"To have my doctoral robe and hood and hat, it was really, I think, the most wonderful gift [my children] ever gave me," Martin-Turner said.
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The mom of three said she wants others to know that failing is a normal part of life, but getting back up is also a choice one can make.
"One of the things I hope maybe people will take from this is that, first of all, no matter what, whatever adversity comes, you can fall down, but you can get up ... and I hope people will understand that you don't need to carry shame," she said.