Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson's Family Strolls Down Memory Lane Before Graduation: 'My Little Lani' (Exclusive)

Thompson's sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird and Mama June Shannon celebrate her big milestone, with June saying, "That's a huge accomplishment — not just for her, but for everybody else who looks up to her"

Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson’s family surrounded her during one of her proudest life moments.

In PEOPLE' exclusive sneak peek at this week's episode Mama June: Family Crisis, the former Toddlers and Tiaras star, 18, overcomes her mixed feelings about her high school graduation when her loved ones — including mother June Shannon and sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird — are able to support her during the milestone moment.

Pumpkin reflects on how much they’ve all gone through together, sharing what Alana's graduation means for her as her sister's legal guardian. “I’ve had to be her mom, I’ve had to be her sister, I’ve had to be her mentor,” she says. “We’ve shared a lot of memories together, and she was the cutest kid.”

Related: Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Graduates from High School: 'So Proud,' Says Mama June Shannon

A montage of some of Alana's most memorable moments flashes across the screen, including classic Honey Boo Boo moments from her pageant days (and even her sassy standup era) that made her a household name.

“She may be America’s Honey Boo Boo, but she’ll always be my little Lani in my heart,” affirms Pumpkin, 24.

Related: Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Admits She Gets Frustrated People Still See Her 'as a Little Kid' (Exclusive)

When it’s finally time for Thompson to walk the graduation stage, her family members and boyfriend Dralin Carswell — who are decked out in matching T-shirts to celebrate the 2023 graduate — stand up and cheers.

“Watching Alana walk across the stage is a major accomplishment,” says Mama June, 44. “There’s been times I know she could have just gave up, but she decided to say, 'Hell no, I’m not giving up, I’m going to do this.' And like, that’s a huge accomplishment — not just for her, but for everybody else who looks up to her.”

Alana takes a moment to pat herself on the back: “I’ve literally been going at this for 13 years, so I am proud of myself ‚ like, 'Dang, I really graduated.'"

The family members join Thompson for some post-grad photos, which featured Thompson’s late sister Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell, whose health journey will be chronicled on this season of the show, which filmed between the time she was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal carcinoma in January 2023 and died this past December at age 29.

Next up, Alana is turning her focus toward college. "I am ready," she previously told PEOPLE. "I think that it is definitely going to be a different journey, but I think I'm ready for it."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Mama June: Family Crisis airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv. 

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.