Sangha of Auspicious Companions

88-Year-Old Woman Finally Earns College Degree After 65-Year Wait

Joan Alexander’s story echoes with the weight of time and persistence, a testament to dreams delayed but not abandoned. In the 1950s, societal norms and rigid policies stole from her the chance to complete her degree at the University of Maine when pregnancy barred her from fulfilling a mandatory teaching requirement. Though she poured her life into her family and community, the absence of a degree lingered as an unfinished chapter in Alexander’s life. Through her daughter Tracy’s inquiry and the recognition of her past teaching contributions, the university awarded Joan her long-awaited degree. “I didn’t realize that it would mean so much to me,” Alexander remarked. “But I now feel that a hole in my heart has been healed.” Her journey underscores the timeless lesson that, with perseverance and heart, a decades-long gap is no deal breaker in the pursuit of a yet-to-be realized dream.

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