MACHESNEY PARK, Ill. (WTVO) — An Illinois family is celebrating not one–but two graduations. One Machesney Park father shared the moment he was able to get the secret off his chest.

“It really was like keeping a secret for Christmas it was just four and half years,” said Mike Loven.

After four long years, Mike Loven was able to finally get his secret off his chest. He shared how it all began in the first place.

“June 6th, 2016, I woke up in the middle of the night just with a feeling from God that I was going to go back to school and get my degree. And I was going to do it as a surprise to my family,” he explained.

It wasn’t something that was in Loven’s plans but he certainly had a lot of motivation around him.

“In the time that we’ve done this, my son graduated with his degree, my daughter graduated, my wife graduated–she got her CFP, and my son got married. There’s been a lot of life events along the way,” Loven said.

He enrolled in Grand Canyon University, the same school his daughter was attending, making the secret even harder to keep.

“It was not easy to conceal, but it was easy to play off that I was working on a spreadsheet for work and not some random calculation for an accounting class,” he added.

After a family get-together to celebrate his daughter’s graduation, he decided it would be perfect timing for the big reveal.

“So I had my cap and gown there and my diploma so I came out and said ‘I think this is why I have an alumni t-shirt’ and the confusion was a lot of fun to watch,” Loven said.

“I was shocked when I saw the diploma it took me a second I was like wait a second thats his name he’s wearing a cap and gown and then I just started sobbing saying how proud I was of him,” Loven’s daughter Taleigh said.

Loven graduated with 3.99 GPA and a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics. He says it was all worth it.

Incredibly proud. I could not be more proud of him and he knows that I think,” his daughter added,

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