It was a bittersweet night for the family of Megan Sharpton, the Coffee County nursing student that was murdered in July.

Sharpton's friends and classmates accepted their nursing degrees today at the Highland Hills Church of Christ in Tullahoma.

"Megan worked hard for this," said Kelly Sharpton, Megan's mother.  "She wanted this, she wanted to be a nurse and she was on her way before her life was stolen."

Sharpton's burned and beaten body was found in a Franklin County field July 3.

Her mother, who accepted Megan's diploma Friday said her daughter's loss affects more than just her family.

"I'm not the only one that should be sad," she said.  "Every patient that she would have had, every person that she would have touched should also be lost like I am."

The 18 classmates that studied alongside Megan say graduation wasn't the same without her.

"She's not physically here with us but in spirit," said Wren Perry, a classmate.

That's why they decorated an empty seat in her honor and put together a touching slide show that was played during the ceremony.

"We made that for her for us to show tonight of pictures of Megan to express to everyone who didn't get to meet he what kind of person she was," Perry said.

Megan's mother said the support from her daughter's friends was hard to put in words.

"Bittersweet," Kelly Sharpton said. "[I'm] so proud of her for her work but heartbroken that some evil person would take her from this world."

Investigators said they are looking into a person of interest. A convicted felon named Donnie Jones is being held at the Coffee County Jail on a weapons charge and $100,000 bond.EXCLUSIVE: Classmates Making Certain Murdered Nursing Student's Memory Lives On - Eric Alvarez