A 105-year-old grandmother has finally received her master’s degree from Stanford University, 83 years after leaving the school to marry her sweetheart who was called to serve in World War II.
Virginia “Ginger” Hislop walked across the stage at the Ivy League’s Graduate School of Education (GSE) on Sunday as the last remaining member of the class of 1940, the university said in a press release.
Getting her master's at 105 years old. How cool is that?https://t.co/X0ctLZNQpt
— Penny Walker (@Auntpeso) June 18, 2024
Virginia graduated with her bachelor’s degree in education in 1940 and had completed all of her credits to obtain her master’s degree but never finished her final thesis before dropping out to marry George Hislop, a fellow GSE student in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
After George was called to war, the couple opted to tie the knot and start their life together. Virginia put her goal of graduating on the back burner.
“I thought it was one of the things I could pick up along the way if I needed it and I always enjoyed studying, so that wasn’t really a great concern to me — and getting married was,” she said in a statement in the school’s press release.
After the family moved from California to Washington, Virginia’s ambition proved enough to land her a career in education and politics without a degree.
When Virginia’s daughter, Anne, entered the first grade, the school wanted to place her in a home economics class instead of advanced English. Virginia wasn’t having it.
“I felt that she could learn to cook at home and it was more important that she learn more academic skills at school,” the mother said.
Anne and her now-husband, Doug Jensen, both went on to graduate with master’s degrees from GSE in 1968.
After taking that stand against her daughter’s school, Virginia was motivated to join the school board to continue advocating for children.
“I felt that all the kids should have an opportunity to develop their potential as best they could, and that everybody should have a crack at higher education if they wanted,” she said.
She went on to chair the Yakima School Board of Directors, became a founding member of the board of directors for Yakima Community College, and helped to start Heritage University in Toppenish where she served on the board for 20 years.
She also helped to raise millions of dollars to provide students with scholarships to attend school, NBC News reported.
After dedicating her life to educating others, Virginia finally received the degree she earned all those years ago after GSE dropped the thesis requirement for its masters program.
“I’ve been doing this work for years and it’s nice to be recognized with this degree,” the 105-year-old said.
Virginia was honored at the school’s June 16 graduation ceremony, where she was met with a standing ovation from her fellow graduates, children, grandchildren, and great-children.
“My goodness. I’ve waited a long time for this,” Virginia remarked.
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