A Florida woman who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica in 1973 recently earned her college degree at the age of 96. According to WPLG Local 10, Violet Edwards, in the early 1980s, was initially a student at New York state’s College of New Rochelle.
She, however, had to drop out as she had to find work to enable her financially support her daughter in medical school. The nonagenarian eventually felt the urge to return to school and complete her degree course after a number of decades. That was after she helped look after her grandkids. Edwards had also worked at her daughter’s medical practice for a very long while.
And though the College of New Rochelle is no longer functioning, Edwards successfully managed to have her records transferred to Mercy College in New York. She ended up taking online courses at the college and eventually earned her degree in June. She also graduated with a 4.0 GPA.
But Edwards faced some hurdles during her time in college. The nonagenarian was battling breast cancer at the time she finished her coursework. She also went under the knife and completed her radiation treatment on July 5.
For her remarkable achievement, the Jamaican Consulate General honored Edwards with a proclamation. Edwards is also reported to be one of the oldest people to graduate with a college degree.
