Though acquiring a certificate does not necessary make you smart, this woman’s story is a clear example of; you can do whatever you set your mind to do—even if you have failed at it in the past.
As an inspiration, we should consider what she has done and pick up the things we so much love but have given up, and finish them.
According to MailOnline;
A 99-year-old woman has celebrated graduating from the high school she dropped out of eight decades ago.
Audrey Crabtree from Iowa, told KWWL.com that she put her education to one side to get married and take care of her family, but always regretted not completing her studies.
However, this year she returned to Waterloo East High School and as she picked up her diploma on Monday, she said that she felt ‘so much more intelligent’ than she did before.
Her daughter, granddaughter and fellow students watched on as she received her certification.
The star student said that she’s proudly going to display her new piece of paper at her Cedar Falls retirement home
Recalling her school days as a teenager, she said that her writing was ‘illegible’ and her spelling ‘original’.
She was just one credit short of graduating in her senior year, but a swimming accident in 1932 caused her to take time off and she was also needed at home to care for an ailing grandparent.
Originally she planned on returning to school, but in the end decided to settle down and marry her high-school sweetheart, Chuck Gerdes.
The couple wed and had two children. Ms Crabtree found work at a local flower shop and eventually purchased the business in 1957, with Mr Gerdes, who died of a heart attack just two months later.
Despite her loss, Ms Crabtree continued operating ‘Flowers by Audrey’ for 28 years.
She went on to marry two more times – outliving both husbands – and has five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Shelley Hoffman, Ms Crabtree’s granddaughter, told the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier that she recently discovered her grandmother’s ‘one regret’ was not getting her diploma.
In a bid to correct this, Ms Hoffman contacted Ms Crabtree’s old school district in July to arrange an honorary ceremony.
Along with her diploma from Waterloo East High School, Ms Crabtree was given a copy of her last report card and memorabilia from her time there.
She also received more than 100 handmade graduation cards from middle school students, who cited her as an inspiration.
‘I am amazed and I am more amazed at all these people,’ Ms Crabtree said at the event. ‘I didn’t know I was so important . . . I’m having a hard time keeping my tears back.’
Her family are now planning a big party for her 100th birthday next year.
Offering a few words of wisdom, Ms Crabtree concluded: ‘I wouldn’t advise anyone to drop out.
‘I feel so much smarter . . .so much more intelligent now that I have a diploma.’