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'Don't ever let people deter you': US woman who earned a bachelor's degree at the age of 82

A woman in the US celebrated her 82nd birthday on Tuesday, May 17 and earned a bachelor’s degree the night after that. Mae Beale, 82, a long-time licensed nurse, returned to college in her late 70s to pursue a degree in business management from the University of Maryland, Washington to help her event planning business.

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Updated May 22, 2022, 08:12 IST

Mae Beale, 82, graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus on Wednesday | Image courtesy: UMGC

Photo : University of Maryland Global Campus

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

A Maryland woman earned her bachelor's degree at the age of 82.
Mae Beale celebrated her 82nd birthday on Tuesday and graduated from the University of Maryland Global Campus the next night.
Beale has had a long career as a licensed practical nurse and has been active in community work for over 50 years now.

A woman in the US celebrated her 82nd birthday on Tuesday, May 17 and earned a bachelor’s degree the night after that.

Mae Beale, 82, a long-time licensed nurse, returned to college in her late 70s to pursue a degree in business management from the University of Maryland, Washington to help her event planning business.

A native of Washington DC, Beale has been a well-known civic and community activist in Maryland for the last five decades and received a dozen awards for her contribution to the social issues pertaining to Howard County.

Back in March, 2016, she was inducted into the 2016 Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame for her numerous contributions to the community including implementation of programs and projects that amplify the voices of black women.

Then, later that year, Mae received The Associated Black Charities’ 2016 Women on the Move Award as a recognition for the difference she brought in the community.

The Sun reported that she was also a volunteer in Howard County for former President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign.

However, by profession, she had been a practical nurse for dozens of years by the time she returned to school.

While Mae was working with the Department of Health and Human Services, she decided she would venture into the business of event planning and established her own business, In Grand Style, in 1994.

Thus, she enrolled at the University of Maryland Global Campus to pursue a bachelor’s degree and took things slow, registering for one class at a time.

On Wednesday, Mae walked across the hall at her campus to receive her diploma, one day after she turned 82.

“I’m feeling excited, happy, energised…all the positive things you can say when you have accomplished a mission,” she told a local television station.

When asked about her plans for the future, Mae said, “the sky’s the limit” while holding her diploma in her hand.

“You don’t ever, ever let people deter you, because people always want to tell you what to do, how to do, when to do,” she said. “But you have to do you.”

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