Archive · 6 Jun 2025
Woman Receives Degree After 60 Years Due to Pregnancy
Imagine a grandma named Joan who went to college a long time ago, but couldn't finish because she got pregnant.
Back then, pregnant students weren't allowed to teach.
Years later, her daughter helped her ask the university if she could finish.
They looked at her old school work and said it was like she had already done her teaching.
So, after waiting over 60 years, Joan finally got her college degree!
It made her very happy because now she felt like she finished something important.
Her family was proud, and the university even talked about her at the graduation ceremony.
Joan Alexander, 88, finally earned her degree after a 60-year delay.
She was a student in the 1950s, but was barred from student teaching due to pregnancy.
Her daughter helped by contacting the university to revisit the matter.
The university recognized her work as a preschool aide as equivalent to student teaching.
Alexander's degree was awarded in May, providing a sense of closure.
- Who
- Joan Alexander, an 88-year-old woman.
- What
- Received a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Maine.
- When
- Awarded in May, after originally starting her degree in the 1950s.
- Where
- University of Maine, though Alexander lives in New Hampshire.
- Why
- She was previously unable to graduate due to a pregnancy ban and wanted to achieve a personal goal and feel a sense of closure.
- Name
- Joan Alexander
- Age
- 88
- Degree
- Bachelor of Science in Education
- University
- University of Maine
- Original Enrollment
- 1950s
- Graduation Year
- May (awarded), 2025