Just a few generations ago, married American women were typically required to abandon their professional ambitions. Virginia “Ginger” Hislop, who is now 105 years old, was no exception. Despite having invested a significant amount of time and energy in her teaching career, she was forced to give it up after marrying.
Back in 1941, she left Stanford University before completing her master’s degree in education. After raising two children and establishing a successful career in education, Hislop was finally able to fulfill her dream of crossing the graduation stage to receive her master’s hood and degree.
105-year-old Virginia Hislop finally received her master’s degree in education from Stanford University, 83 years later than she anticipated.
In 1936, she started her education at Stanford and earned her bachelor’s degree four years later. It was only a year later that she was on the verge of completing her master’s degree, needing only to submit her thesis. Unfortunately, she never had the chance to finish that thesis.
However, after 83 years, her son-in-law Doug Jensen discovered that the graduate program no longer required a thesis. This meant that Hislop had actually completed all her coursework, and all she needed to do was participate in the graduation ceremony. “My goodness,” Hislop remarked, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
