People watching Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Nursing graduation on May 9 were surprised to see Jada Hargrove’s guest: the baby she held in her arms.

Hargrove had received permission to have her son, Elias, join her on the Siegel Center stage for the milestone event, where she earned her undergraduate degree.

“I was excited. I felt very empowered to walk across the stage with my baby,” Hargrove said. “It was an indescribable feeling, and I was happy the university allowed me to share that moment with him.”

Having Elias join her was a fitting continuation of his involvement in her life at VCU. 

“I got pregnant with him in nursing school. He has been with me through the stressful times during school, the long clinical hours and tests,” Hargrove said – though “I did hand him over to his dad after I walked” the commencement stage.

“Nursing school is very challenging, and my pregnancy was far from easy,” she said. “I wanted him beside me to share this moment of an overachieving accomplishment.”

What Hargrove didn’t anticipate was becoming an inspiration to other women who saw the video of her graduating with Elias in her arms.

Hargrove said she never expected to receive any comments to the video that was uploaded to social media platforms Instagram (more than 10 million views), Facebook (nearly 10 million views and almost 500,000 likes) and TikTok (8 million views and more than 1 million likes).

“I read the comments, and they are all positive. People were saying they were so proud of me. Some said I was giving them hope to get through nursing school,” said Hargrove, who relishes being “able to inspire others.”

A graduate of Highland Springs High School in Henrico County, Hargrove has had her heart set on becoming either a nurse or doctor since she was young.

“I always wanted to help people. Growing up, I would see people without insurance that had a difficult time getting care,” she said.

She came to VCU in 2021 after graduating from basic training with the Virginia Army National Guard. “I joined the National Guard because I wanted to make a difference,” said Hargrove, who is still an active member.

With her first degree in hand, she has set her sights on a career as a nurse practitioner. Hargrove will start VCU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program this fall.

“I want to focus on acute care for adults,” she said. “My ultimate goal is to have my own practice and open a free clinic, serving the low-income community.”

Rooted in her faith, Hargrove wants others, especially those who are struggling, to know “that anything is possible,” she said. “It just takes ambition, hard work and dedication.”