Politics Politician Families Al Roker and Wife Deborah Roberts Drop Son Nick Off at College: 'His Moment to Soar Has Come' Deborah Roberts was emotional as she and Al Roker brought their son to start his freshman year By Angela Andaloro Angela Andaloro Angela Andaloro is a Society & Culture Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on BuzzFeed, Entertainment Weekly, and LittleThings. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 24, 2022 12:35PM EDT Photo: Deborah Roberts/Instagram Al Roker and Deborah Roberts are watching their youngest leave the nest. The Today weatherman, 68, and the ABC News Senior National Affairs correspondent, 61, enjoyed a bittersweet moment as they dropped son Nick, 19, off to start his freshman year of college. "Wednesday wonder. After all the hard work. All the discipline. All the dreaming. All the prayers. His moment to soar has come. (I'm not crying. I promise. 😢)," Roberts captioned a photo of her, Roker and Nick in front of a packed car trunk, shared on both Instagram and Twitter. "Pride doesn't even begin to describe this day Nick Roker. The journey continues." The proud mom also shared more photos on her Instagram Story, showing the process of packing the car up with dorm essentials 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 juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. In June, Roker opened up on Today about his son's accomplishments. "It was difficult. We're so proud of him, all the work he's done, the people who have helped him along the way. It literally does take a village," he said. "It was a terrific moment and he's put in so much hard work and I'm just so very proud of this young man." "Of course, Deborah, his mom, did the lion's share of the work," Roker added. Roker and Roberts — who tied the knot in 1995 — also share daughter Leila, 23. Roker is also dad to daughter Courtney, 35, from his previous marriage to producer Alice Bell. Al Roker and Deborah Roberts Celebrate Their Son Nick Getting into College: 'He Is So Excited' PHOTO: Deborah Roberts/Instagram PHOTO: Deborah Roberts/Instagram In May, Roker shared a piece of a sermon Nick gave at the family's church. The clip featured Nick speaking about his recent accomplishments, including the time he had spent at the place of worship. "Today, I am 19 years old and about to graduate high school," he shared. "I have a learning disability, and I have worked extra hard to get to this point. This last semester, I earned all A's on my report card." He continued, "It feels really good, but my accomplishments haven't all been about school. They have also been about perseverance here at St. James." Noting that his experience in school could sometimes be challenging, he explained it was the opposite when it came to the church. "I have always felt loved and supported here," he explained. "I am happy and feel accomplished after each service … I feel empowered here and welcome. I am accepted here for who I am."