Virginia Hislop, a 105-year-old woman, recently returned to Stanford University after an 83-year hiatus to receive her master’s degree in education. She first enrolled at Stanford in 1936 as an undergraduate student. Hislop continued her studies at Stanford to pursue a graduate degree while teaching, but her plans were interrupted when her future husband was called to serve during World War II in 1941, Fox news reported.
She left campus before graduating to get married and moved around the country as an Army wife before settling in Yakima, Washington, with her family.
Although Hislop did not return to teaching, she utilized her teaching certificate to serve on committees and boards, striving to enhance educational opportunities whenever possible. She became a member of the local school board when she was dissatisfied with the suggestion of a home economics course for her daughter Anne instead of advanced English.
Hislop went on to serve as a founding board member for Yakima Valley Community College and helped raise funds for Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington. In 2017, she even established the Virginia Hislop Emergency Fund scholarship at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
During the recent graduation ceremony, Daniel Schwartz, dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, praised Hislop as a “fierce advocate for equality” and expressed his pride in conferring her Master of Arts in education degree. Schwartz revealed that Hislop’s participation in the ceremony might not have been possible without her son-in-law’s inquiry about bestowing her with an honorary degree. Upon discovering Hislop’s original transcripts from 1941, Schwartz realized that her completed coursework satisfied the current requirements for a master’s degree, making an honorary degree unnecessary.
The moment Hislop received her degree was cherished by her, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as she remarked, “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
Since her graduation, people online have been expressing their admiration for her achievements, praising her sharp mind at her age and offering congratulations and blessings for many more years to come.
She left campus before graduating to get married and moved around the country as an Army wife before settling in Yakima, Washington, with her family.
Although Hislop did not return to teaching, she utilized her teaching certificate to serve on committees and boards, striving to enhance educational opportunities whenever possible. She became a member of the local school board when she was dissatisfied with the suggestion of a home economics course for her daughter Anne instead of advanced English.
Hislop went on to serve as a founding board member for Yakima Valley Community College and helped raise funds for Heritage University in Toppenish, Washington. In 2017, she even established the Virginia Hislop Emergency Fund scholarship at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences.
During the recent graduation ceremony, Daniel Schwartz, dean of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, praised Hislop as a “fierce advocate for equality” and expressed his pride in conferring her Master of Arts in education degree. Schwartz revealed that Hislop’s participation in the ceremony might not have been possible without her son-in-law’s inquiry about bestowing her with an honorary degree. Upon discovering Hislop’s original transcripts from 1941, Schwartz realized that her completed coursework satisfied the current requirements for a master’s degree, making an honorary degree unnecessary.
The moment Hislop received her degree was cherished by her, her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as she remarked, “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
Since her graduation, people online have been expressing their admiration for her achievements, praising her sharp mind at her age and offering congratulations and blessings for many more years to come.
