WVVA TV Bluefield Beckley WV News, Weather and Sports91 year old woman receives her GED
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91 year old Beulah Wills says receiving her GED has always been a dream.
She dropped out of high school to work and help her family during the Great Depression.
She never had the opportunity to go back to school until just last year, Thursday night all her hard work paid off.
"It's a wonderful feeling that I was able to accomplish this at my age." says Beulah.
An accomplishment that had been a lifelong dream and one that until now had been put on hold.
"I got married and I had four children and I spent my time at home, taking care of my children." Wills explains.
The 91 year old spent her life taking care of others.
About a year ago Beulah's daughter decided to enroll her in GED classes to keep her active after losing a close family member.
"She was just lost. So I decided this was something that would be positive for her and give her something to do and I knew she was smart enough to do it." says Wills daughter, Pat Wilson.
She proved she was smart enough.
Poor eyesight and hearing made it difficult for Beulah but she just worked that much harder.
Math was a challenge she enjoyed.
"We did, decimals, fractions, whole numbers, algebra, geometry, percents, and proportion, and charts and graphs." explains Darlene Shepherd, Beulah's GED instructor.
"I never had done that well with math. But Darlene was so good and patient with me. And I learned a lot about math that I hadn't known before, and there's a lot more I could learn." Beulah says.
Learning is a life-long process and Beulah proved you're never too old to take on a challenge.
"It's wonderful to have a mother that is 91 years old and wants to do something like this and just kept with it until she did finish it because it's been a lifelong dream of hers ever since she quit school." Wilson, Beulah's daughter says.
"It's a good feeling. That I've accomplished it. Even if I am over 90 years old." Beulah Wills concludes.
Beulah also received one of three Outstanding Achievement Awards.
She was given a standing ovation for the honor.
