An 85-year-old Georgia woman graduated from high school Saturday in front of her family and the community she serves every day, 67 years after her original planned graduation date.
Americus resident Shirley Smith was shocked to learn on her 85th birthday that she would soon receive an honorary high school diploma from Montezuma Police Chief Eric Finch in recognition of her years of dedication to her family and tireless support of education.
“I’m grateful,” Smith said in a video interview with Fox News Digital. “I consider it an honor and a blessing.”
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Smith grew up on a tobacco farm in Wilmington, North Carolina, when in 1956 her father was faced with the challenge of earning more money to support their six children after tobacco prices fell.
Smith and her siblings were then relocated to Somerville, New Jersey.
Shirley Smith, 85, received her honorary high school diploma on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Family members surrounded her. (Brianna Robinson)
“I was halfway through my 10th year of high school and I told my dad the biggest mistake I’d made was saying I didn’t want to go to school,” Smith said. “And he said, ‘Get a job.'”
She first worked at a dry cleaners and then at a pocketbook factory.
“Even though it was snowing, they still wanted to go to school.”
Soon after, she married and started a family of her own, later moving to Georgia.
She said she considered going to trade school several times, but her goal of caring for her children and raising a family took precedence over a degree.
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But Smith said education was a priority in her household and that if her children lived in her home, they would be educated.
They didn’t seem to care.
“The kids were actually crying because they wanted to go to school. Even though it was snowing, they wanted to go to school,” she said.
Today, Smith is proud to have watched her children and grandchildren pursue educations at schools such as Texas A&M University, Montclair College, Cal State Fullerton, the University of Tampa and the University of Mississippi.
Her family is equally proud of her lifetime accomplishments and feels she is very deserving of this honor.
“My mother always taught us to follow our dreams and if we keep our faith in God, all things are possible.”
“My grandma never missed any of her children or grandchildren’s high school or college graduations,” Smith’s granddaughter, Brianna Robinson of Tampa, Florida, told Fox News Digital.
“I couldn’t be more honored and thrilled. My mother always taught us to follow our dreams and that if we keep our faith in God, all things are possible.”
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A devoted church member, Smith has been a faithful Baptist for decades, serving as a missionary in the community and caring for the sick and poor.
Shirley Smith welcomed her entire family to Georgia for the weekend to celebrate her high school graduation. (Brianna Robinson)
“I had family members who encouraged me to believe in God,” Smith said.
She added that her family had never lacked shelter, food or clothing.
“We always had a decent place to stay, so I just stuck to my guns.”
Smith thanks God for his degree because he believes God’s plan and working through others allows those with experience to be rewarded for their hard work in life more than those with education.
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“I’m really grateful and thankful to God,” she said. “I always try to think about what people see in me. I paint people. It doesn’t matter what color their skin is or what personality they have. I just paint people.”
Smith’s daughter, Tan Galia Robinson of California, said she was touched by the heartfelt words Finch spoke at her milestone birthday party, which included red velvet cake and praise for her work as a mother and faithful caretaker.
Smith’s entire family is proud to be able to celebrate her life’s accomplishments with her, several family members told Fox News Digital. (Brianna Robinson)
“It felt like a robbery not to give her her diploma,” Robinson said.
Though she was nervous, Smith was excited to wear a purple and white dress under her black cap and gown and was looking forward to the surprises her family had planned for the day.
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As for his next steps and the prospect of attending college, Smith laughed and said he was more like preparing to meet God.
“I’m getting ready to go to heaven, that’s what I’m trying to do,” she said with a smile.
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“I’m going to get paid by him,” she told Fox News Digital.
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