The Heart-Melting Story Behind This Viral (and Adorable) Graduation Photo

When Brittney Brooks graduated with her MBA from the University of Maryland University College, there was only one person more excited than she was: her little boy.

An adorable photo captured 4-year-old Mason's pride for his mom's accomplishment and is currently melting hearts across the internet. In the sweet graduation snapshot, Brittney held a sign that said, "I did it," as Mason beamed with pride and held his own sign that read, "No! Mom, you mastered it."

After seeing similar ideas on Pinterest, Brittney and her sister came up with the idea to make these signs that honor her major achievement, but they had no idea it would have such an impact on other multitasking mamas who are now seeing it. "I just wanted to take this with my son and hang it at work or home and share with a couple of friends on social media but I never thought it would be this big," she told POPSUGAR in an email.

This day was a long time coming for Brittney who first went to school for her master's degree in 2011 before learning that she was pregnant with Mason. "I just couldn't add that amount of weight and try to enjoy the blessing of my first child, so I dropped out," she explained. "I decided to go back in 2015 and never looked back. It was very hard and challenging having to work full-time and be a mom and have a social life plus full-time grad school and wedding planning."

Brittney credits the unwavering support of her family and fiancé for helping her achieve her goals. "He is amazing and a great dad and without him, I wouldn't be able to do it. He is my biggest supporter along with my son and they push me to do better and go further," she wrote. "[There were] times I wanted to give up but they wouldn't let me. I am forever grateful for them."

She also wants people to know that there's more to her story than they might realize at first glance at her photo. "Some people look at the picture and think I did this on my own and that I am a single mom but that's far from the truth," she wrote. "I had a great support system and even though it was hard and I felt like giving up so many times, I pulled through because I had people depending on me. My advice is to get a positive support system that will encourage you and build you up. It could be family, friends, co-workers, whoever, but that's what is going to get you through — their words, advice, support, and encouragement."