80-year-old woman graduates from college decades after having to leave
OMAHA, Neb. (WKRC/KETV/CNN Newsource) - A lot of people take a semester off during college -- or even a year or longer. But a Nebraska woman needed a lot more time than that.
In May, she graduated, proving its never to late to achieve one's goals.
It was roughly 60 years ago, when University of Nebraska-Omaha student Madeline Adams had to pause her education to care for her family.
The 80-year-old first started at UNO when the mascot was still the "Indians" back in 1960.
"Well, life happened. Expecting, married, second child, third child, divorced, moved out of state," said Adams.
Adams would move to Missouri and work in real estate for 15 years before ending up in Honolulu, and then Arizona before staying with her daughter, Robin Wright.
"My daughter, who lives in Texas, she's here today, she begged me to come visit her," Adams said at graduation.
And while getting her mother moved in, Wright says she noticed something.
"I noticed that she had 40 credits from UNO, and I said, 'Mom, why don't you just finish?'" said Wright.
So, Adams enrolled, taking online classes. She credits her daughter for pushing her across the finish line.
"She's the wind beneath my wings," said Adams. "She really is, and she's my biggest cheerleader."
Wright, however, says her mom's flying fine on her own.
"She would always kind of jokingly say, 'We were the smart ones,' but I was like, 'Mom, you made us. You are the one who taught us,'" Wright said.
Wright calls her mom an inspiration
"I didn't realize the whole thing was that they were 19 when they had one, and 22 when they had all three of us, and she really dropped out to work for us," she said.
Adams says she's finally putting a period on her education career.
"I always told my children, 'Don't start anything you can't finish,' so, I had to be the example, right?" she said.
Adams says she plans to take her degree and use it for her volunteer work.
