Eighty-three years after leaving her master’s degree at Stanford University for love, 105-year-old Virginia “Ginger” Hislop returned to earn her degree, proving that it’s never too late to get an education.
Hislop’s journey began in 1936 at Stanford University School of Education, where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in education. She graduated in 1940 and promptly began pursuing her master’s degree in education to fulfill her ambition to become a teacher.
Then, after completing her coursework and before submitting her senior thesis, Hislop decided to put her ambitions aside for later. World War II was in full swing and her then boyfriend, George Hislop (a GSE student in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps), was called to serve in the war. The news forced the couple to marry and Hislop left her program.
“I thought it was one of those things I could pick up along the way if I needed it and I’ve always enjoyed studying, so that wasn’t really a big concern for me — and getting married was,” Hislop said, according to a press release. from the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
After leaving Stanford, Hislop pursued a career in Washington state politics, where she took a job on a local school board after her daughter Anne’s school suggested she study home economics instead of advanced English.
She would later chair the Yakima School Board of Directors, become a founding member of the Yakima Community College Board of Directors, and help found Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington, where she served on the board for 20 years. fed up.
Recently, her son-in-law Doug Jensen contacted Stanford.
When she left Stanford in 1940, Hislop had all the credits she needed to graduate; she just hadn’t completed a master’s thesis yet. However, the thesis requirement has since been dropped by the university, meaning Hislop had all the credits she needed and earned that degree.
On June 16, Hislop turned her brush and received her Master of Arts in Education as the only member of the class of 1940. According to the Stanford Graduate School of Education, her march across the stage was met with a standing ovation led by her fellow graduates. and her family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“My God. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Hislop said in the Stanford press release.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
