Las Cruces family celebrates weekend college graduations of mom and her 2 kids

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- It's graduation weekend, a special time for not just the graduate - but also their family and friends. One Las Cruces family has amazing story about how graduation weekend is truly a family affair.

Eugene Montoya is a proud husband and father, because while it's one thing to see your child graduate from college - it's another to see two children graduate in the same weekend.

That's Amazing! But what about two children and your wife? Now, you see why Montoya is both a proud husband and father.

His wife lilliana graduated from New Mexico State University with her bachelors degree, while their daughter Kelsey graduated from NMSU with her masters degree in biology, and their son Zachary graduated from the University of New Mexico with a bachelors degree in chemical engineering.

You may be asking why lilliana was graduating at the same time as her two children. That is where the story is even more incredible.

She was supposed to graduate in 2017, but then was diagnosed with breast cancer. She stopped school for two years to beat it, and now has finished her degree in individual studies - which will allow her to pursue her goal of becoming a teacher.

The Montoya family is originally from El Paso, with lilliana being a graduate of Jefferson High School. But the family has lived in Las Cruces for the last 25 years.