An 81-year-old great-grandmother is being hailed as an inspiration after fulfilling her dream of graduating from college, despite challenges that forced her to delay it for over 50 years.
Janice Hall was working towards her college degree more than five decades ago when a serious car accident side-lined her goal. In the following years, Hall became a mother of three, a grandmother of 14 and finally a great-grandmother of 17 ,all while working and earning accolades as a human resource official for the city of South Bend, ABC 57 reported.
81 years, 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren later, Janice Hall will receive her degree in organizational management from Bethel University in Mishawaka. https://t.co/TE0uBjuuFE
— ABC57 News (@ABC57News) April 28, 2023
During those years, Hall twice battled breast cancer, suffered a stroke and became a widow, but, she told the outlet, “God has given me the strength to manage those.”
“My mother has been resilient,” Hall’s son Michael Patton told ABC 57. “She’s persevered and she has met the challenge, not only today but over her lifetime.” (RELATED: Decorated WWII Veteran Completes Important Last Mission With Help Of School Principal)
“I remember talking to her on the phone when she would be writing her papers, and she was so dedicated, she would say ‘I have to get off the phone now I have to go do my homework,’” Hall’s daughter, Michelle Patton Johnson, added.
Hall attributes her perseverance to her faith, telling the outlet her degree, and the Master’s degree in ministry she intends on achieving, will assist her in carrying out “what God has called [her] to do.”
“It has inspired me,” Johnson said of her mother’s aspirations. “I’m going to go look at some master’s programs for social work, so we will probably be in school at the same time together!” (RELATED: 97-Year-Old WWII Veteran Graduates High School With His Great-Grandson)
“I’m excited for her future,”Johnson continued. “At 81, she still has a future.”