Posted: Tue, 8 May 2018 10:27 AM - 25,565 Readers

By: Delaney Strunk

While senior portraits have become a standard practice, University of Texas at Austin graduate Carly Morris took her photoshoot to a whole new level.

Morris was captured in cap and gown on a wakeboard by Kaylin Balderrama, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, who has been shooting senior portraits for about three years.

"It was 55 degrees outside and the water was 65 degrees but we had to do it really early in the morning because of lighting," Balderrama told INSIDER.

Despite the less than ideal temperatures and an early morning start, Morris was able to stay balanced on the wakeboard while simultaneously putting on her cap and gown.

 "The sun peeked out from behind the clouds just as I got my cap and gown on and I couldn't stop smiling," Morris told INSIDER.



 "I'm honestly so surprised at her skills of putting everything on while surfing," Balderrama said.

After finding her rhythm on the first run for the photo, Morris got back out onto the water and decided to just have fun.

"The second time around I was much more relaxed and that's when Kaylin got the best shots! It was surreal. After surfing for a while and soaking the moment in, I fell into the water, overjoyed and relieved," Morris said.



Morris majored in psychology and plans to pursue a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling at Belmont University in Tennessee.

But before heading to Nashville to continue her education, Morris says she'll spend more time on the lake.

"I'll be a boat driver and instructor at Lone Star Surf Camp's wakeboarding and wakesurfing camp on Lake Austin," Morris said.



The effort Morris and Balderrama put in to their photoshoot clearly paid off, and now Morris has a constant reminder of what she loved about college.

"Senior pictures are unique because that person is about to take the next step in life, either to college or to the real world," Balderrama said. "A good senior picture will make the subject look back on those photos later and remember how they felt when they were graduating,"

*  Story Contributed by: Delaney Strunk