Nationwide — Renee Carroll, a 67-year-old Black woman from Washington, DC, is celebrating having finally graduated high school. She graduated as the oldest person in her class from Goodwill Excel Center, a tuition-free adult charter high school.
“I graduated with my high school diploma at 67 years old,” Carroll told WTOP. “I just raised the roof on where I’m going.”
Goodwill Excel Center, located in Washington, DC, awards adult learners who did not graduate in the past with high school diplomas rather than a GED. Carroll attended the school’s program which is made up of 5 terms that are 8 weeks long each.
As the oldest student in her graduating class, Carroll said she kept her motivation thanks to the people around her at the school.
“Returning to school after about 40 years was very hard work,” she said. “The younger people really rallied around me and carried me through.”