88-year-old mom finally graduates after being denied her diploma while pregnant

Joan Alexander had been waiting more than six decades for this moment.

In 1959, she was a soon-to-be graduate at the University of Maine, studying to become a teacher. But when she became pregnant with her first child, the university barred her from completing the required student teaching component—a policy that, at the time, reflected a wider cultural belief that pregnancy and professionalism couldn’t coexist. 

Alexander left without her degree and poured her energy into motherhood, raising four daughters and volunteering in classrooms for years. But despite a full life, something always felt unfinished.  “I hadn’t realized that I had this big hole in my life, and that’s what it was—a diploma,” Alexander told NBC News in a recent interview.

That comment stayed with her youngest daughter, Tracey. In 2023, Tracey reached out to the University of Maine to see if anything could be done.

The university reviewed Alexander’s records and concluded that—yes—she had fulfilled her teaching requirement after all. And in 2024, at 88 years old, she finally walked across the stage, likely becoming the oldest undergraduate in the university’s history to receive a diploma.

“After I got it, that hole filled up, and I felt like I was a finished person,” Alexander said in her NBC News interview.

Related: Mom graduates alongside her kids, showing it’s never too late to pursue dreams

Why Alexander’s graduation is about more than closure 

This story is a powerful reminder of what so many mothers have faced—and continue to face—when trying to pursue their education. In 1959, Alexander was denied the chance to finish her degree solely because she was pregnant. That policy, once common, reflects a legacy of institutional barriers that sidelined women’s ambitions in the name of outdated norms.

Though Title IX has since made discrimination against pregnant and parenting students illegal, the reality today is more complicated. Many student moms still navigate a system that wasn’t built with them in mind.

Alexander’s journey may have started 65 years ago, but it speaks volumes about the gaps that still exist—and the persistence required to close them.

What has changed for student moms—and what hasn’t

• Title IX, passed in 1972, was a major step toward equity in education, explicitly protecting pregnant and parenting students from discrimination in federally funded programs. But despite the legal protections, many student parents are still under-supported. A 2021 report from Generation Hope found that fewer than half of higher education institutions offer childcare, and most lack dedicated support for student parents. 
• Another study by IWPR (Institute for Women’s Policy Research) found that over half of student parents (52%) suspend their enrollment within six years without returning to complete their education—nearly twice the rate of students without children. 

The reasons are practical—and pressing: lack of affordable childcare, housing, transportation, inflexible course schedules, and a lack of emotional support all contribute to dropout rates among student parents.

Related: Single mom passes bar exam after years of sacrifice—and her kids’ tears say it all

For moms thinking of going back to school

If this story sparks something in you, you’re not alone—and you’re not without support. 

These organizations are working to make higher education more accessible for parenting students:

• Student Parent Action Through Research Knowledge (SPARK) – National research and advocacy for parenting students
  
• Student Parent Success Initiative – IWPR – Data and policy change for student moms
  
• Generation Hope – Offers mentoring, tuition support, and advocacy for student parents
  
• Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) – A federal program that helps schools fund on-campus childcare for student parents

Alexander’s diploma might be six decades late—but it’s right on time.  It’s a reminder that motherhood may change our timelines, but it doesn’t have to rewrite our dreams.