MANCHESTER, NH – In the timeline of her life, Annette Roberge, who recently celebrated her 90th birthday, had few missing milestones – except maybe for one: Getting her college degree.

On Saturday, Roberge was able to mark that off her to-do list, as she received her associate’s degree in business from SNHU.

She took quite a few gap years, between high school, college in the 1970s and Saturday’s ceremony, but for Roberge, it was mostly about finishing what she started and achieving her dream [listen to more of her story in the video clip above.]

Born in Hooksett during the Great Depression, Roberge graduated from Manchester Central High School in 1953 and married later that year. Her college journey began in 1972, one year after her husband was killed in action in Vietnam.

Working part-time jobs during the day to support her five children, the Gold Star wife enrolled in night and weekend classes at New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University). When her older kids went off to college, Roberge kept taking courses while working full-time in the insurance industry, but never officially graduated herself.

Determined to finish what she started, Roberge reached out to SNHU ahead of her 90th birthday to review her transcript to see how many courses she had left and discovered she already earned enough credits for an associate’s in business back in 1989.

This weekend, after having cheered on many family members from the stands at countless graduation ceremonies herseof, the grandmother of 12 and great-grandmother of 15 (and counting) was in the spotlight. She walked the walk to receive her hard-earned diploma, not only as a first-generation graduate but as SNHU’s eldest Fall 2024 graduate.

“Let me be a testament that you’re never too old,” Annette shared. “In fact, learning is a sure way to keep a young mind. It’s never too late to follow your dreams!”

Thanks to SNHU for contributing to this story and video report.