Degreed At 90 Years Old: Ellouise Lewis Receives Honorary GED After Dropping Out Of High School

It’s never too late to finish what you’ve started.

Ellouise Lewis recently received her honorary GED at age 90; she had dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.

According to WLOX, Gulfport Care Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, held a graduation ceremony for Lewis on Wednesday to celebrate her accomplishment. Lewis expressed that completing high school was something she wanted to accomplish.

Gulfport Care Center posted a collage of the celebration on the health care facility’s Facebook page stating, “We had a resident who shared with us that she missed getting her G.E.D. by 1 question when she was younger and always regretted not going back to get it. Our team went right to work to help make it happen.”

“I never did get a chance to graduate until this day,” Lewis told WLOX.

After learning of her desire to finish her education, Gulfport Care Center’s activity director, Lisa Perdue, researched how to grant Lewis her certificate.

Perdue contacted Wells of Southgate, a Christian training center in Gulfport that contributes to the health and advancement of the Gulf Coast community. Lewis was administered a mock test that she passed, completing South Gate’s course.

“It’s a blessing to me and to my coworkers to be able to make this happen,” Perdue said.

Perdue, along with the care center’s staff and SouthGate representatives, attended Lewis’s graduation ceremony, where she was granted the honorary GED certificate.

“It was just great to be involved with this,” said Leonard Martin, a representative from Wells of SouthGate, who presented the certificate along with Linda McClury Martin.

In her interview with WLOX, Lewis cried as she expressed her gratitude for the staff’s efforts.

“When they told me here that I could get my GED, I was happy about it. I’m still happy,” she said. “Excuse me, because this makes me happy to know that I can do this.”

Reportedly, Lewis is the organization’s first recipient to ever take and pass the mock assessment.

 “She’s pivotal,” her son, Greg Lewis, said. “So, hopefully, it will open doors for others to follow in her footsteps.”