Single, working mom attends her graduation ceremony with her 8-month-old daughter (+ VIDEO)

Being a working student isn't easy, but being a single parent as well could really complicate things. Life is unpredictable and we all have to face challenges. There are many single women who try to juggle work and study, in addition to knowing that they have a baby on the way. The younger one is, the more likely you are to find yourself in a situation like this - but the truth is that it takes great deal of fortitude at any age. The subject of this story has achieved her dream of graduating and participated in the ceremony together with another "dream" she had: her 8-month-old daughter.

Una publicación compartida de Júlia Pontés (@_juliapontes_)

Júlia Pontés, an Argentine-Brazilian environmental researcher, activist and photographer, is one of those women who have worked very hard to achieve her goals. Of course, reaching this milestone was even more satisfying as the 39-year-old managed to graduate by herself, relying solely on her own strength. Julia also brought her 8-month-old daughter, Stella Lyra, to the graduation ceremony, as she felt it was the right thing to do. Julia graduated from Columbia University, which was always her goal: "Columbia has always been the university of my dreams. But being pregnant and being a (single) mother turned out to be quite a challenge," she said. After falling pregnant, she separated from her partner as he turned out to be unreliable; she pursued her dream of graduating and continued to work as a reporter, despite the fact that she was almost homeless at one point.

Luckily, Julia's friends and family have always supported her and now she can be truly proud of what she has achieved. Having her daughter next to her at such an important event was the most precious thing for her: "It would have made no sense not to have my daughter with me at my graduation, because she is the crowning glory of my life," she said. The photo of Julia with her little daughter in her arms has gone viral on the web. But Julia wants to make sure that people do not feel sorry for her. On the contrary, Julia wanted to inspire all those mothers who they do not believe they can manage to overcome life's challenges. Well done, Julia!