Allison Jedson and her three children graduated from the University of Rhode Island in May, attending five ceremonies in three days.
On the first morning of graduations at the University of Rhode Island, Allison Jedson was walking across the stage to receive her doctorate in nursing practice when a shout broke the silence in the arena.
"That's my mom!" Emily Jedson yelled from the bleachers, prompting the arena to break into applause.
But those were only the first of many cheers for -- and from -- the Jedson family that mid-May weekend.
Allison graduated the same semester as her three children, Alex, Emily and Ethan, who each received bachelor's degrees. The family attended five ceremonies in three days at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island.
That wasn't the family's original plan.
When Allison learned she would need an extra year to finish her research into sexually transmitted infections, meaning she would graduate this spring, she wanted to find a way to graduate a different semester to avoid stealing attention from her children. But her children wanted to graduate alongside her.
"It's one thing to say that you graduated with your brothers," Emily told The Washington Post. "But it's another thing to say that you graduated with your mom."
The University of Rhode Island is a fixture of the Jedson family, who live in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, about 12 miles northwest of campus. The Boston Globe previously reported the family's story.
Allison earned her nursing degree at the University of Rhode Island in 1993 and her master's degree in nursing in 1997. At a campus library, she met her future husband, Christian, who received a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1991 and his master of business administration degree in 2001.
Alex and Ethan, who are twins, and Emily attended summer camp at the university's W. Alton Jones Campus in West Greenwich as children. They learned to ice skate at the university's Boss Arena and to swim at the campus's Tootell Aquatic Center.
Alex and Ethan started at their parents' alma mater in the fall of 2020 on a five-year plan so they could study abroad in Spain for a year. Emily started in the fall of 2021 on a four-year track. Allison, who said she felt the weight of an empty nest, began her doctorate program in the fall of 2021, thinking she would graduate in the spring of 2024.
But she encountered technology issues in her research, which involved implementing an at-home, online sexually transmitted infection testing option for college students, in the spring of 2023. She told her children she could try to finish her research in December 2024.
Allison, 54, said it was "heartwarming" when they asked her to wait to graduate with them.
"Someone who has been such a role model to us growing up, to be able to cross the stage the same weekend and do all the pictures and everything like that, that was really great," said Ethan, 23.
Ethan would graduate with bachelor's degrees in finance, accounting, applied economics and Spanish. Alex, 23, would graduate with bachelor's degrees in mechanical engineering and Spanish. Emily, 21, would graduate with bachelor's degrees in kinesiology and dietetics.
The family joked with Christian that he should pursue another degree so they could all graduate together.
"It ended up working out," Ethan said. "I mean, someone has to be the photographer for the weekend."
In the morning on May 16, Allison graduated while Alex, Ethan and Emily watched from section 205, across from the center of the arena, where the family sat for ceremonies all weekend.
With a roughly 90-minute break before the College of Arts and Sciences ceremony, the family tailgated with snacks and drinks in the Plains Road parking lot, across the street from the Ryan Center. Allison hung her black cap and gown in her car, while Alex and Ethan grabbed theirs from their cars to put on. The brothers walked across the stage back-to-back that afternoon.
Emily graduated May 17 before everyone agreed on a celebratory dinner at a local Italian restaurant.
In the morning on May 18, Ethan graduated from the College of Business. The family then went to Alex and Ethan's house near the beach in Narragansett, Rhode Island, where they hung out and played cornhole. They returned that evening for the weekend's final ceremony, for Alex: the College of Engineering.
Five times, the family heard university President Marc Parlange say in his speech that commencement "marks a beginning" and he sees graduates who have "the potential to shape the world." Student speakers at each ceremony offered different perspectives, and the Jedsons said watching their family members walk across the stage was equally exciting each time.
The children are taking different paths now. Emily is pursuing a master's degree in athletic training at the University of Connecticut. Ethan will begin working at JPMorgan Chase in New York City in July. Alex will work for General Dynamics Electric Boat in Rhode Island.
Allison said she's proud of her children but is bracing herself for them leaving again.
"I guess there's only so much you can put it off, right?" Allison said. "Because, yeah, they eventually do leave. But [returning to college] was a good bridge for me."
Before parting ways, they had one more celebration with an attraction they all enjoyed during their college tenures.
During a graduation party at her house May 25, Allison rented the university's blue food truck, Rhody Eatz, which serves hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken Caesar wraps, french fries and other food on campus. In the Jedson's backyard, more than 100 party attendees could choose among the family's go-to foods from the past four -- or five -- years.