4 Grannies Defy Expectations, Earn College Degrees Years After Their Children, Shares their Stories

Cursory: Some exceptionally brave and inspiring grand parents have all narrated how they enrolled into college despite their age and actually graduating. The senior citizens have all gone through difficulties and joyful situations in this bumpy road called life. See their inspiring stories, as they navigate through life, go against all odds to achieve their life long dreams, below…

Some great scholars have proven that age is just a number, and one should not give up their dreams because of age. They have proven beyond reasonable doubt that the main things needed to achieve success is the ability to start, determination and consistency, after walking the stage in their caps and gowns to receive college diplomas for the first time.

Sam Kaplan, 72, who is on our list, achieved his lifelong dream of being a college graduate just before his teenage grandson graduated from high school this year. “I look at myself differently now,” he tells Yahoo Life.

Kaplan, who is one of seven siblings and has five children and 15 grandchildren, faced persistent challenges in gaining acceptance from his peers due to a stutter. However, he was able to overcome this speech impediment in his 30s, coinciding with his exploration of writing short stories as a means of finding solace.

In May, he achieved the remarkable accomplishment of graduating Magna Cum Laude [with great distinction (with reference to university degrees and diplomas)] from Georgia Gwinnett College in Georgia, where he pursued a degree in cinema and media arts.

His inspiring moment was captured as his 99-year-old mother enthusiastically cheered for him from the audience, leading to the video becoming viral.

Kaplan’s decision to enroll in college came about four years ago when he spontaneously responded to a radio advertisement for the college course. Now, more than fifty years after his high school graduation in 1969, he is embracing a new chapter in his life with excitement and optimism.

“I sacrificed to take my kids to private schools that were an hour away. I would go there and back every day for several years to make sure they had a great education,” he shares. “So, as my son has told me, now it’s my turn to achieve my dreams.”

Janice Hall, an 81-year-old woman who has overcome the challenges of a stroke and battled cancer twice, achieved a significant milestone by obtaining her bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Bethel University in Minnesota.

This accomplishment comes more than five decades after her initial college experience. Despite making attempts to complete her degree in the past, it was only recently that Janice felt prepared to fulfill this goal.

As a retired human resources professional, she reflects on her successful career, realizing that a degree was not a requirement for her achievements.

However, the desire to complete her college education always lingered in the back of her mind. With newfound time on her hands, Janice took the opportunity to pursue her long-held aspiration, and now she can proudly say that she has accomplished it.

“I had time on my hands,” the retired human resources professional tells Yahoo Life.

“I had a very good career over those years of working. Nobody ever asked me for a degree in terms of the things that I did, career-wise, so I just continued to work and do what I knew best, and succeeded in that. But it was always in the back of my mind to finish [college]. And now, I did.”

Hall, who has three children, 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, advises future scholars with similar college dreams that “there is always hope” whenever things seem challenging.

“If the will is there, the way will be made,” she says.

Lew Griffith, a 99-year-old retired U.S. military engineer and pilot, shares similar sentiments. He was honored with a Bronze Star for his engineering contributions during the 1960s.

Despite earning various degrees, including engineering, Griffith never had the opportunity to participate in his graduation ceremonies due to his service interruptions in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

However, this year marked a significant change as he was invited to the commencement ceremony at the University of Texas at Austin’s Cockrell School of Engineering, where he had pursued his studies. Griffith finally had the chance to walk onstage, donning his cap and gown, and accept his long-awaited diploma.

“I was very gratified to see the student body express, with a standing ovation, that they appreciated their veterans,” he tells Yahoo Life of the support he received from younger grads. “It represented a bond between the old guys and new guys.”

Part of that bond is finding humor in their generational differences. “They think of me as a caveman,” he jokes.

Meanwhile, in Zanesville, Ohio, 102-year-old Nancy Power Hodous earned an associates degree in public service from Zane State College, made possible by Trilogy Health Service’s “Live a Dream” program, which financially supports seniors in achieving their goals.

“It’s never too late to follow your heart,” she said in a statement through a representative at Oaks of Bethesda, a retirement community where she lives.

Hodous achieved the degree through a culmination of online business, arts and poetry courses — including auditing a class at Harvard University.

“If it’s something you can do, go ahead and do it!” she told local news station WBNS.

Hall will go back to school in August to focus on a master’s degree in ministry, though she isn’t exactly looking to go back to work post-graduation.

“At this age, I certainly don’t plan to do another career, but I’m glad that I did this now,” she says. “It’s come closer to match what I promised myself.”

As for Kaplan, he says “taking risks” later in life is scary, but sometimes “it’s something you have to do.”

“I’m 72, but I think I still have about 30 good years left, I hope I do anyway, and I certainly don’t want to sit around and do nothing,” he says.

“This whole thing has caused a great change in my life.”

Source: yahoo

Read Also: Against all Odds, 96-Year-Old Granny Becomes Oldest Black Woman to Graduate from US College

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