A Texas woman recently showed that it is never too late to go for that university degree.
At age 90, Minnie Payne has become the oldest graduate to complete the coursework and earn a degree at any level at the University of North Texas. While another individual did graduate at an older age, the school told ABC that their coursework had been completed when they were younger.
Payne graduated high school in College Station in 1950. Now, 73 years and two grandchildren later, she has earned her Master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.
The nonagenarian grew up in a textile community in South Carolina amid poverty and illiteracy. Her education was not prioritized when she was younger since her parents did not recognize its value.
Despite Payne’s humble upbringing, she said, “I have always tried to better myself,” according to Upworthy.
“I lived in a very small world. We were poor, but we didn’t realize we were poor because everybody else was in the same boat,” she recalled.
She nonetheless strived for something more and achieved it, even if her scholastic accolades came much later in life than most. She worked numerous jobs after high school before eventually retiring.
Then, at age 73, she pursued an undergraduate degree from Texas Woman’s College. Upon completion, she worked as a writer for roughly 16 years before ultimately pursuing the UNT Master’s program.
“When you gain an education, you better yourself and you better those around you. And, of course, you gain knowledge. And I know a lot more now than I did to begin with,” she said.
Payne credits her success to academic adviser and assistant dean of graduate studies at the university’s Toulouse Graduate School, Billy Roessler, as well as other faculty at the school. According to Roessler, she “was very dedicated to her work.”
“She was committed throughout the program to getting the education, knowledge, and skills that she desired,” he said.
