Gretchen received a special graduation gift, a locket from Tiffany’s. Before the party, Gretchen told Country Weekly that she went back to school to get her GED to set an example for her daughter Grace. “I don’t want her to turn around and look at me one day and say, ‘Well, you didn’t finish school. Why is it important for me?’ This is something I would have done, regardless of my situation in life or my career,” Gretchen said. “The chances of me ending up where I am today were one in a zillion. It was a matter of talent and creativity, but it was also a matter of being in the right place at the right time. These sorts of things don’t happen for everybody and it was not wise for me to not have a backup plan.” Gretchen also told the crowd that she hopes she can become an inspiration to others. Montgomery Gentry’s Troy Gentry and Eddie Montgomery presented Gretchen with a check from the University of Phoenix for Gretchen’s foundation, which will go towards a scholarship to the university.