90-Year-Old Texas Woman Earns Her Master’s Degree 73 Years After Graduating High School

Minnie Payne.Photo:University of North Texas

University of North Texas

A 90-year-old woman earned her Master’s degree from a Texas university more than seven decades after she graduated high school.

According to theUniversity of North Texas(UNT), Minnie Payne received her diploma on Sunday after becoming the oldest person to complete their coursework.

“I knew that I was bettering myself and my family, and I was doing something I enjoyed and something constructive. I was improving my life,” the graduate said, per the school.

Payne grew up in South Carolina, and was the child of two uneducated mill workers, UNT said. She graduated high school in 1950 and took classes at a junior college before transitioning into the workforce.

Payne first returned to school at age 68 after she retired from her job as a transcriptionist and word processor, a position she worked for 30 years. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Texas Woman’s University at age 73.

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But Payne was not done learning there. Seventeen years later, she has another degree under her belt: a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies that she finished “completely online,” according to UNT.

Like many college students, Payne found herself pulling “many all-nighters” while completing her work. She said it “was hard” being a nontraditional student, but is proud of what she has accomplished.

“In some way or another, I want to continue learning,” she said, per UNT.

source: people.com