A Harvard University grad drove more than 2,000 miles, over nearly three full days to make sure her undocumented immigrant mom would be able to attend her graduation.

Norma Torres Mendoza recently finished work on her Master's in Public Policy and International Affairs degree and desperately wanted her mom to be able to share in her big day.

Millions Saved From Possible Deportation by DACA

As a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, Mendoza is free to travel the country using the renewable two-year exemption from deportation she's been granted. In all, nearly five million immigrants are saved from facing possible proceedings by the actions taken by the Obama administration in November of 2014.

Given her status, according to NBC News, Mendoza flew from Massachusetts to Texas to pick up her mom and together the two made the drive back to Cambridge and the Ivy League institution.

Carmen Torres would have surely been detained attempting to board any flight, an action that could have ultimately ended in her facing deportation actions.

"I was pretty excited to show my mother where I've been for the past two years," said Mendoza, showing off the pictures the two snapped of themselves stopping off at each state crossing.

Torres has been in the U.S. since she was 16 and works as a housekeeper.

"My mother always told me that education was the only thing that no one could ever take away from me," said Mendoza.

Indeed, Mendoza appears to have taken those lessons to heart. Prior to attending Harvard, she worked for Deloitte Consulting where she was a Human Capital Analyst. She earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Hispanic Studies from Rice University, where she co-founded the Young Owls Leadership Program (YOLP) that has helped nearly 200 Houston area students become the first in their families to attend four year universities.

Even before the official festivities at Harvard kicked off, Mendoza walked arm and arm with her mom at the school's second annual Latino Graduation, a student-led initiative launched to celebrate the accomplishments of Latino graduates.

"It's unbelievable because my mother comes from a very humble background," said Mendoza. "I don't think she's ever imagined that she would be at this point in her life where her daughter is getting a Master's from Harvard."

Mendoza Aims to Mobilize Latino Voters

Upcoming plans call for Mendoza to drive back to Houston as part of a mission to mobilize Latino voters for the upcoming 2016 presidential election, where presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump has already vowed to deport millions of immigrants if he is elected.

After that, she's leaving her options open.

"I'm still going through a few offers for a full time job beginning in August," she said. She later added of her mom, "She taught me the value of working hard, preserving and ensuring that we leave this country better than we found it."

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