At tomorrow's Commencement, one mother-daughter pair will have twice as many reasons to celebrate.

For Willow S. Lawson '97 and her mother Anita Fineday--who will graduate with a masters from the Kennedy School this year--sending out Harvard graduation invitations, ordering Crimson gowns and anticipating the upcoming ceremonies in Tercentary Theater have all become shared experiences.

Although their relatives are reportedly "proud," both mother and daughter speak modestly of their coinciding Harvard graduations.

"I think people think it's kind of funny," laughs Lawson, who will receive her A.B. in archaeology--a branch of anthropology--at tomorrow's ceremonies.

Lawson was studying abroad in South Africa when her mother decided to apply to business school. The senior says she has eagerly supported her mother's decision.

When she found out that her mother was applying to the Kennedy School, Lawson says she was pleased with the possibility of her mother's coming to Cambridge.

"I was very happy. I thought it would have been great," says Lawson. "I like my mom a lot. She's a younger mother, and she likes to do a lot of the same things I do."

Sharing the Harvard Experience

While some students might cringe at the thought of attending college with one of their parents, Lawson says the experience hasn't been all that unsettling. In fact, she says she welcomed the chance to see more of her mother after her year abroad.

"It's been a great way to spend time with my mom," she says.

Fineday echoes her daughter's sentiments.

"It worked out really well because I hadn't seen [Lawson]," Fineday says. "It was really nice after not seeing her for so long to be in the same town."

While Lawson says she enjoys visiting her mother frequently, she was quick to point out that she does not live with her.

Lawson is a Mather House resident; her mother and 15-year-old sister live together in nearby Peabody Terrace.

Although the two buildings are relatively close, Fineday says that she and her older daughter never bump into each other.