A proud New Jersey mom rented a billboard to honor her daughter becoming a clinical psychologist. Dr. Kristine Smalls graduated with her Psy.D degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine on July 29, 2022.
Her mom, Kendra Busbee, wanted the whole world to know about her daughter’s accomplishments. Renting a digital billboard seemed like the perfect way to celebrate her earning a doctorate.
“I am the proudest mom knowing that I have the most awesome daughter. I can’t even explain the feeling that I have right now. She has done everything that a mother could wish their child could do,” Busbee told Good Morning America in an interview. “I wish nothing but the best for her.”
Busbee planned to rent a billboard after Kristine told her a friend’s mom had done so recently. The proud mom initially turned down the idea, thinking it would be too expensive. However, after finding a decent deal, she quickly changed her mind and decided to surprise Kristine.
“I got on the phone, and I started making phone calls: ‘You know where I can get a billboard and who I can reach out to?’” Busbee told GMA. “I reached out to someone that just opened up a bakery, and she directed me to someone that she used for her billboard, and they gave me an amazing price.”
Busbee added that she already had a design in mind for the billboard. She stayed up late at night brainstorming ideas in a notebook, envisioning how the massive billboard would look. She eventually created the perfect design and couldn’t wait for her daughter to see it.
It wasn’t easy keeping the celebratory billboard a secret until the day it went live. Busbee told friends and family to gather in a parking lot near the billboard for the big reveal. At the same time, she asked her daughter to meet her and visit friends at a nearby bar.
NJ Mom Surprises Daughter With Congratulatory Billboard After She Graduated
When Busbee told Kristine to come outside, she initially saw the massive crowd of people and didn’t notice the billboard. When her mom pointed out the giant display of public recognition, the graduate was at a loss for words.
“I said, ‘Oh I moved the car,’ and we’re walking to the car, and she’s like, ‘OK, I don’t know what’s going on.’ And she sees everybody outside of their car standing there, waiting. So she’s thinking that I’m giving her a COVID party [for her graduation],” Busbee said. “I’m like, ‘The billboard!’ and she’s like, ‘Oh!’… It was awesome.”
“She just stood there in shock,” the proud mother added. “So I hugged her. She hugged me back. And I said, ‘We did it, baby. You did it.’”
Kristine’s billboard displayed a sizable photo of her wearing her graduation cap and tassel. On the side of the picture, it read, “Let Me Reintroduce Myself… Dr. Kristine S. Smalls — Dr. Smiles — Look what good came out of Camden!”
Busbee added that after revealing the billboard to her daughter, she played “Jay-Z’s ‘let me reintroduce myself.’” This phrase referred to the rapper’s song “Public Service Announcement (Interlude),” a fitting song for the occasion.
Busbee and her daughter felt touched by the friends and family who showed up to celebrate with them. However, Busbee said she also …
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