82-Year Old Woman Makes History, Graduates From University of Maryland

Nationwide — Mae Beale, an 82-year-old woman from Maryland, has finally achieved her dream of graduating college as she recently received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

In the past years, Beale has been working as a licensed practical nurse at different health care and government agencies in Washington, DC. While working at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, she discovered her skills in event planning.

“My supervisors thought I had something special,” she told WJLA-TV. “When I was working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I organized some large events and everybody was impressed with it, so I started coordinating their IT information conferences.”

In 1994, she decided to make a new career out of event planning and launched her own event planning business called “In Grand Style.” She then went back to school to earn her associate degree in business management at Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland.

Just a few years ago, Beale, who was then in her late 70s, decided to continue her studies and pursue a bachelor’s degree to help her grow her business. She worked really hard towards her goal, even making it to the Dean’s list several times and participating in various extra-curricular activities.

“I discovered that I had to be intentional about it and make it my priority,” she said.

Most recently, Beale graduated with honors on the day after she just turned 82-years old.