In the realm of educational ambitions, age is just a number, which has been proven right by 101-year-old Sarah Simpkins.
The inspiring college student from South Carolina, who initially dropped out due to falling pregnant 81 years ago, is set to graduate alongside her granddaughter.
Her Education Stopped When She Became A Mother
She went on to have 11 more children, which subsequently prevented her from even considering the idea of going back to finish her degree, as motherhood had kept her well-occupied.
Years passed, her children grew up and started their own families. Simpkins became determined to finish her studies this time around because even though life got hectic, she’d never lost the spark for knowledge.
According to the Daily Mail, she enrolled at Brightpoint Community College in Chester, Virginia, five years after relocating from New York to be closer to her granddaughter, Halimah Shepherd-Crawford.
Simpkins recently completed her first semester in an early childhood education program. Despite her age, she’s been able to keep up with her assignments just as well as her classmates.
With the support and encouragement of her granddaughter, who is also pursuing a college degree at the same institute, she decided to return to school and complete her studies.
Sarah Simpkins’ Determination To Finish What She Started
“It’s something that I had to do,” she declared in an interview with WBBT. “I’m very, very grateful that God has enabled me to do this.”
Simpkins has been attending classes, completing assignments, and engaging in discussions with fellow students several generations younger than her.
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“I study the assignment, explain it to her, and then she gives me her answers,” Crawford told the news outlet. “I’m her hands and eyes, but it’s her brain. She’s still super sharp.”
The Virginia Higher Education Act of 1974 has allowed Simpkins to attend her classes for free, given that she is a senior over 60.
Other than that, she has completed the same amount of workload as her classmates and is swiftly moving through the course with no challenges. When asked how she found getting on with the homework assignments, she replied, “Piece of cake.”
This 101-year-old will proudly walk across the stage alongside her granddaughter in May 2024, symbolizing their shared commitment to education.
“It’s special because we both will finish together, and we’ll both walk across the stage together,” Crawford continued. “It made us work harder. And that was our motivation. We’re gonna do this together. We’re gonna finish together.”
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