Mother and daughter-in-law graduate ECPI nursing school together

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - For some of us, it can be hard to get along with our in-laws. But not for one mother and daughter-in-law duo in the Upstate. Kacie Glenn and her mother-in-law Pat Glenn met a few years ago, thanks to one man.

“After a few dates with her son, I eventually had to meet the parents,” daughter-in-law Kacie Glenn said. “It was great, we ended up going to Disney together and a bunch of fun things.”

Their unique personalities just clicked.

“She is the quiet timid one and I am the complete opposite,” mother-in-law, " Pat Glenn said.

Both were thinking about nursing school and decided to start at the same time.

“I’ve had three jobs my whole life,” Pat said. “I was in the army. I did accounting for a while, and after doing that for 20 years, I decided instead of working with numbers, I wanted to work with people.”

So, at the age of 26 and 55, Kacie and Pat started their career path caring for others. They enrolled at ECPI University in Greenville for nursing.

“We drove back and forth together,” Kacie said. “We went to classes together and clinicals together.”

Pat says this wasn’t her first time attending nursing school.

“It is so hard,” Pat said. “And it wasn’t that the subjects were more technical than here. It was just a different way of learning.”

Pat said Kacie is one of the reasons she got through the curriculum.

“Every Sunday we sat down and we studied for hours, every Sunday for two years,” Pat said.

In July, they passed all their courses and walked on the graduation podium right after each other. Their speeches recognized each other.

“A special thank you to my mother-in-law Pat,” Kacie said in her speech. “Thank you for this precious journey filled with so many memories.”

“It has been an honor for me to go through this program with you,” Pat said in her speech. “I will cherish all the memories of the long rides to clinicals, study groups and all the time we had together.”

Kacie said she thought she wanted to be an intensive care unit nurse. But Pat talked her into taking a different path.

“I was bouncing around ideas, and I didn’t know I was going to pick psych,” Kacie said.

Pat convinced her to try mental health, and now they both work at Patrick B Harris Psychiatric Hospital in Anderson.

“Every family member is touched with psychiatric problems,” Pat said. “It’s a calling. You either love it or hate it.”

And as far as their future, Pat plans to work here until she retires. Kacie says it will likely be a long time for her as well.

“Just every day I had her there,” Kacie said. “I will never think oh, I did nursing school alone. No, I had my mother-in-law, and she became my best friend.”

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