A 105-year-old woman who attended Stanford University in 1936 recently returned to campus for the first time in 83 years to earn her graduate degree, and she’s been an inspiration ever since.
Virginia Hislop graduated a few weeks ago from the university in Palo Alto, California, with a master’s degree in education, according to Stanford University’s news site.
Daniel Schwartz, dean of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, detailed the findings in a phone interview with Fox News Digital.
“I [didn’t] “I have to worry about my commencement speech,” Schwartz told Fox News Digital about the experience.
He said, “Just introducing Virginia, or ‘Ginger,’ is enough to set the mood.”
Hislop first enrolled at Stanford University as an undergraduate in 1936, according to the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
Stanford University said on its news website that Hislop earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1940 and stayed on at the university to earn a graduate degree while also teaching.
But then love and war intervened.
Dreams shattered by World War II
By 1941, Hislop had completed her coursework and was preparing to submit her final thesis, when her future husband was drafted into World War II, according to Stanford University news site.
So she put her academic plans on hold to get married and left campus before graduation.
“I just saw it as one of those things you could learn along the way if necessary, and I’ve always enjoyed studying, so it wasn’t really a big concern for me. Marriage was a big concern,” she told the Stanford University news website.
After moving around the country for several years as an Army wife, Hislop settled in Yakima, Washington, with her husband and two children after the war, she told the Yakima Herald-Republic in 2018.
“Although I did not return to teaching, I feel that I was able to put my teaching qualification to good use. [on] “I have served on committees and boards and tried to improve educational opportunities whenever I had the opportunity,” she said. Publication.
Thus began a teaching career that spanned more than 80 years at the city, county and state levels in Washington, according to Stanford University’s news site.
Hislop told the Yakima Herald-Republic that when her daughter, Ann, was preparing for high school, she was “frustrated” that she was being recommended to take home economics courses instead of advanced English, and so she sought a seat on the local school board.
Hislop won.
“I felt that it was more important for my daughter to learn to cook at home and to learn more academic skills at school,” Hislop told Stanford.
Hislop later served as a founding trustee of what was then known as Yakima Valley Community College.
She helped raise funds for the school that would become Heritage University near Toppenish, Washington, according to the Yakima Herald-Republic.
The Washington-based university said on its website that Hislop also helped establish a scholarship at Pacific Northwest Health Sciences University in 2017.
It was named the Virginia Hislop Emergency Fund.
“I’ve been waiting a long time”
At a recent commencement ceremony, Schwartz called Hislop a “staunch advocate for equality” and said he was “proud to present this 105-year-old graduate with a master’s degree in education.”
Schwartz told Fox News Digital that Hislop’s attendance at the ceremony might not have happened if Hislop’s son-in-law hadn’t asked him to present him with an honorary degree.
When Schwartz found Hislop’s original 1941 transcript, he realized she probably didn’t need an honorary degree.
“We mapped her courses then to her current courses, which met the requirements for her current master’s degree,” he told Fox News Digital.
Mr Schwartz said Mr Hislop’s son-in-law was “over the moon”.
At 105, Hislop was “strong and intelligent,” Schwartz said as he walked up to the stage to receive his degree.
“If I hadn’t seen the records, I would have thought this was a hoax,” Schwartz said.
“She moves around and talks like she’s 25 years younger.”
It was a moment that Hislop, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will never forget.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” she said at the graduation ceremony.
Since her graduation, people online have continued to express their admiration for her achievements on various forums.
“Smart even at this age,” one person wrote.
Another said: “Oh she’s as smart as ever. I don’t know why I cried. Amazing.”
Yet another wrote: “Congratulations. God bless you.” [for] It will continue for many years to come!
