What to know about the 105-year-old who walked at graduation to receive master’s degree from Stanford

More than eight decades after beginning her studies at Stanford, Virginia “Ginnie” Hislop has officially earned her master’s degree in education at the remarkable age of 105.

Hislop first enrolled at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education in the 1940s and completed her coursework. However, her path to graduation was abruptly interrupted when World War II broke out. Just days before submitting her master’s thesis, her plans shifted dramatically.

Her boyfriend at the time, George Hislop, was called to military service. Ginnie chose to leave Stanford, marry George, and support the war effort. Her academic journey paused as she focused on family life, eventually raising two children and becoming a matriarch to four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, ABC News reported.

But education remained a lifelong commitment. While raising her family in Washington State, Hislop served on local school and college boards for decades, shaping the academic landscape for others even as her own degree remained unfinished.

Years later, Stanford quietly eliminated its thesis requirement, removing the only obstacle that had stood in Ginnie’s way. This June, she returned to the university that once felt so distant, and on Sunday, June 16, she walked across the stage to receive her long-awaited Master of Arts in Education.

Her story isn’t just about delayed dreams, it’s about persistence, service, and proving that it’s never too late to finish what you started.