BUTLER TWP — It was just dumb luck that one family walked into Butler County Community College history Tuesday night when they walked through the Field House.

The family — Garnet Yaklich-Auth and her two children, Daniel and Amanda Yaklich — is believed to be the first to graduate together from the college, school officials said.

But the three didn't plan it that way.

Garnet, in fact, has been working toward her goal of graduating for years. Before her children were born, she started taking classes at the Community College of Allegheny County.

"When I had children, I gave up classes," she said. "I took several years off ... seven, maybe even 10 years off."

She kept busy raising her children at her Franklin Township home and working as a secretary at Moraine Elementary School in the Slippery Rock School District.

When Amanda graduated from Slippery Rock High School in 2003, Garnet started classes again in the general studies program at BC3. Two years later, Daniel graduated from high school and started classes at BC3 as well.

Daniel, now 22, finished his associate degree in psychology in December.

That made him eligible to walk Tuesday with another 378 summer, December and May grads. The graduating class included people age 17 to 58, nine veterans, and eight with double degrees.

"I was shocked he was the first one of us to finish," Amanda said of Daniel.

Amanda, 24, meanwhile had spent a year at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford studying nursing. She earned a certificate as a nurses aide and worked as a nurse for a while. Then she moved to Penn Township and started an elementary education program at BC3.

"It was a lot cheaper," she said. Cost was a big consideration, she said, because she was living on her own.

The three being at BC3 created a couple interesting classes for them.

Garnet took a philosophy class with Daniel.

She said it was "great." He called it "interesting."

Then Garnet had a painting class with Amanda.

"She's the artist; I'm not," Amanda said.

"I was nervous at first," she said about having a class with her mother. "But, she kept me going. I might not have gotten through that class without her."

It was just before this semester started that the family realized they would receive their diplomas the same night.

"A couple of months ago I was talking to a counselor, and I realized I had just one class left," Garnet said.

"I thought there was a possibility of this, but at the beginning of the semester, we knew it would happen," Amanda said.

"We didn't plan this, it's just the way it all worked out," Garnet said.

Amanda is particularly glad for her mother.

"I'm very proud of her," Amanda said. "She's sacrificed a lot for my brother and me."

Garnet said her father is also proud enough of her that he'll be throwing a party for her and her children after graduating.

She also noted she graduated on the second anniversary of her mother's death and wished her mother was able to see her graduate.

Daniel's not sure what's next for him. He would eventually like to go back to school to study information technology, but he's not sure when or where. In the meantime, he's working at Glade Run Lutheran Services.

Amanda also will return to school, and she's looking at La Roche College.

"The fact that I have a degree, that's something I can work on. I'm halfway there," she said.