*Sarah Simpkins has always dreamt of earning her college degree. At 102 years old, she decided there was no better time than the present to make that dream a reality. Her motivation to return to school was driven by a desire to inspire others: “So that I might inspire somebody else,” Simpkins said. “I returned to school. It was never out of my mind.”
The centenarian recently graduated from the Early Childhood Education program at Brightpoint Community College in Chester, Virginia. Simpkins thoroughly enjoyed the experience, particularly her in-person art classes held on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
“Enjoying every step of it,” Simpkins shared. “Being with the other students.”
Despite her age, Simpkins found her coursework manageable. “When I go to do the homework, that’s easy,” she remarked confidently. “Piece of cake.”
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Helping her in this journey is her granddaughter, Halimah Shepherd-Crawford, who is also enrolled at Brightpoint Community College. Shepherd-Crawford assists Simpkins with her homework, reports WWBT.
“I study the assignment, explain it to her, and then she gives me her answers,” Shepherd-Crawford said. “I’m her hands and eyes, but it’s her brain. She’s still super sharp.”
Shepherd-Crawford also graduated earlier this month with her grandmother, a milestone they were eagerly anticipating.
“It’s special because we both finished together, and both walked across the stage together,” Shepherd-Crawford said. “It made us work harder. And that was our motivation. We’re gonna do this together. We’re gonna finish together.”
Simpkins, who moved from Brooklyn, NY to Virginia at the age of 96 to live with her granddaughter, had once been a semi-professional bowler. Despite her 102 years, she maintains a youthful attitude: “It feels like 42,” she quipped when asked about her age, applying that same youthful mentality to her studies.
Her positive outlook and determination have made Simpkins a source of inspiration, particularly to her granddaughter.
“My grandmother’s just an inspiration,” Shepherd-Crawford said.
Thanks to Virginia’s Higher Education Act of 1974, Simpkins can take classes at no charge. The act allows seniors over 60 to pursue higher education either for credit or by auditing classes. This enabled Simpkins to resume her academic journey, one that she had put on hold at the age of 20 when she got pregnant and left Allen University in Columbia, SC.
“So I went on, and I got married,” Simpkins recounted. She focused on growing her family, and raising twelve children, yet never lost sight of her educational goals.
“It’s something that I had to do,” Simpkins reflected. “I’m very, very grateful that God has enabled me to do this.”
Her dedication paid off as she completed her first semester with an impressive 3.5 GPA.
“I wanted to do that just to prove to me that I can do it,” Simpkins asserted.
Sarah Simpkins’ remarkable journey is a testament to the fact that it’s never too late to pursue one’s dreams. Her story is an inspiration not only to her family but to anyone who believes in the power of perseverance and the importance of lifelong learning.
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