Learning is a lifelong experience. Even if a person is well beyond his golden years, there's always something to learn, and a recent college graduate proves it.
Amy Craton, a grandmother from Hawaii, was recently awarded a Bachelor degree in creative writing and English after studying two-and-a-half years, receiving her education through online courses from Southern New Hampshire University, Inside Edition reported. She was awarded in a surprise ceremony held in Honolulu.
Craton, happy about her new degree, said she's trying to live her life "to the fullest," noting that she'll be happy as she "gets good grades." And good grades she did get - she graduated with a 4.0 GPA.
Dig this: the newly-minted grandmother is actually a mother, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. She's 94 years old, sits in a wheelchair, and is hard of hearing. Craton actually started going to college in 1962, but had to put her education on hold to prioritize her kids especially after she and her husband got divorced. She was left to take care of her four children.
More than 50 years later, Craton decided to go back to school. She says everyone has to keep learning for as long as they can. People should go to college and not be afraid of it, she says.
SNHU president Paul LeBlanc said everybody in the school was surprised at Craton. It's pretty surprising for someone of Craton's age to go back to school with all the new technology, but it's fun and her learning has really touched people's lives, LeBlanc said.
LeBlanc said he believes that Craton is their school's oldest graduate, and could even be the oldest student in the country. Getting a Bachelor's degree with a 4.0 GPA is already a feat on its own, but grandma Craton doesn't want to stop there. While she's happy with her new degree, she says she still has more to learn and wants to work on her master's degree.
Craton's achievement should encourage all of us to study, and not let age or disability stop us from learning.
