Blannie Ward, a 70-year-old African American woman from Ahoskie, North Carolina, finally earned her high school diploma after years of interruptions and persistence.
She completed the milestone through a college career readiness program and graduated from Roanoke-Chowan Community College. Ward received her diploma during the college's recent commencement ceremony as the oldest graduate among 186 students. The school awarded her high school equivalency through its College and Career Readiness program, according to KLTV.