Rebecca Inge, a 75-year-old woman from Raleigh, North Carolina, graduated from Shaw University, an HBCU. She began pursuing her college degree there 57 years ago.
In 1965, Inge, living in Sanford, Florida, left home to attend Shaw University.
“I always dreamed of attending medical school because I was sick as a child. I dreamed of being a surgeon,” Inge told WRAL, adding that she was also interested in engineering.
At the time, she worked in the college cafeteria to support her financial needs while studying. However, she had to put her dreams on hold when she married and gave birth to her daughter.
Her daughter, Marisa Ratliff Dunston, who is now retired after years of service in the U.S. military, said her mother sacrificed a lot for her family. She said, “She put her life on hold so I could finish my 21 years of education and be successful today.”
During those previous years, Inge had different jobs, including working at NASA during the first space shuttle mission and serving as a safety instructor at Disney World. When her husband died in 2015, she usually stayed with her daughter.
Recently, she decided to continue pursuing her college degree by re-enrolling at Shaw University. Due to the enormous year gap, there had been a few hurdles, but everything worked out with her daughter’s help.
Now, Inge is preparing for her commencement ceremonies on May 8. She is excited to ultimately fulfill her dream.
“You gotta live ’til you die, so why not be happy doing something that makes you happy and get involved?” she said.
