Vera Andrews first enrolled at North Carolina A&T in 1978. See what it took to earn her diploma.

Earning a college degree is no easy hill to climb.

Vera Andrews is proving it’s never too late to graduate! Andrews says she is excited as a kid ready to open presents on Christmas day.

“Joy, joy, I’ve made it!” Andrews said.

Andrews has much to celebrate. Her education journey began 46 years ago in 1978, when she enrolled at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

Her future couldn’t have looked any brighter — at least until life’s challenges dimmed her hope. While Andrews was in school at A&T, her mom got sick, forcing her to drop out.

Then, in 1987, her daughter Renee got into a car accident. Andrews put her hopes of getting a degree aside.

“I thought it was going to be the end for me but something kept pushing me,” Andrews said. “It never left my mind that I want to finish college.”

In 2022, Andrews learned about Aggies at the Goal Line, a program giving former A&T students who hadn’t graduated a chance to return to class and earn their bachelor’s degree.

On Saturday, December 14, Andrews walked across the stage at 80 years old to receive her diploma. She says her family has been her biggest supporters — they’ve helped her, and in turn, she’s inspiring them.

“Even though you think, or everything is telling you to give up, just persevere,” Andrews’ granddaughter Kayla Phifer said.

Andrews graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts Studies. She said she wants to start a nonprofit to help those who have been underserved in her community.

At 80 years old, Andrews says she’s feeling great and looking forward to the future.

“I feel awesome, I feel blessed, and I can’t say nothing but praise the Lord,” she said.