A Georgia grandmother is thanking God she finally received her high school diploma on Saturday — 67 years after the date she would have graduated had she not dropped out.
Shirley Smith, a beloved woman from Americus, was “shocked” to find out on her eighty-fifth birthday that she would receive an honorary diploma, thanks to Montezuma Police Department Chief Eric Finch, Fox News reported.
Finch had noticed Smith’s dedication to her family and support of their own education journeys over the years since she dropped out of school to work.
Growing up with five siblings on a North Carolina tobacco farm, her father was pressed to earn more to support them all when the market went down.
Smith and her family were uprooted and moved to Somerville, New Jersey, where she held multiple jobs.
“I was going to the tenth grade, and I told him, the biggest mistake that I made, I think, was telling him that I didn’t want to go to school,” Smith said in an interview. “And he said, ‘Go to work.’”
She worked multiple jobs, first at a dry cleaner’s and then at a pocketbook factory, before getting married and having a family of her own.
Smith later moved back Down South to Georgia, where she fostered a strong love for education in her children as she put her own school dreams aside to provide for them.
The children did not seem to mind being made to take their learning seriously, Smith told the outlet.
“Matter of fact, they cried to go to school. Even when it was snowing, they wanted to go to school,” she said.
“My nana never missed a high school or college graduation for any of her children or grandchildren,” granddaughter Brianna Robinson said. “I couldn’t be more honored and inspired. She always taught us to chase our dreams, and all things are possible if you keep faith in God.”
One of Smith’s daughters, Tan Galia Robinson, said that Chief Finch was inspired by her mother’s dedication to her family’s education.
“He felt like it was robbery to not give her her diploma,” Robinson told Fox News.
Smith was finally able to don a black cap and gown and receive her award on Saturday.
“I’m thankful,” she said. “I think it’s an honor and I think it’s a blessing.”
God was the one who got her through life and allowed her to finally graduate high school, Smith asserted.
“I’m really appreciative, and I’m really thankful to God,” she said.
As for what she’s going to do next, Smith laughed at the prospect of going to college.
“I’m getting ready to go to heaven, that’s what I’m getting ready to do,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to get my reward from Him.”
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