COLUMBUS, Ohio — At the age of 74, Lawanna Featherstone walked across the stage to receive what she’d been dreaming of for years — her high school diploma.
Featherstone was joined at the Greater Columbus Convention Center by 181 scholars and more than 40 other adults graduating from the Academy for Urban Scholars.
She said she wants to serve as an example for others interested in pursuing their dreams.
“It’s never too late to accomplish a goal,” Featherstone said. “Any of you young ladies out there that are hesitant, don't be hesitant. Go for it. If I’m 74 and I can get ‘er done, then you can get ‘er done too.”
By her side on graduation day was her sister, who Featherstone said she pulled into the program with her.
“I decided that I can set the path for someone else, even my nieces and my nephews. I can set the path for them, you know, if I can do it… then they can try it too,” she said.
Featherstone plans to get her certificate next so she can work in addiction counseling.
“You’re never too old. My mother went back to school when she was 50,” she said. “You’re never too old to get anything done. If you’ve got your mind set, you can get in there and get it done.”
Sabrina Jones, superintendent for the Academy for Urban Scholars, said this is the school’s second year that they’ve been able to graduate someone over the age of 70.
“When we started this program about seven years ago, we found that there was a need for us to not only tap into our youth but also tap into their families,” Jones said. “What we want to do is break that generational poverty and we know we can do that through wellness and education, so we decided to add on our 22+ program.”
The 22+ Adult High School Diploma Program is offered at dozens of schools across the state. Academy for Urban Scholars has two campuses, one in Columbus on East Broad Street and another in Youngstown.
“We really didn’t understand and know the magnitude of the impact that we can have on the community, but every seven seconds there’s someone dropping out from school. Today, for us to have over 181 individuals that will not be in that number, it just makes us so proud,” Jones said.
Jones said it doesn’t matter how old someone is, they’re able to achieve the goals of the high school diploma. And when they graduate, they receive an actual diploma, not a certificate.
Before Featherstone joined her classmates for the graduation ceremony, she expressed her excitement for the diploma.
“I’m excited,” she said. “I can’t wait to walk across that stage and to finally get my piece of paper – my diploma – because I had got a GED but they couldn’t find the paper, so I said, ‘well the heck, I’m going for the diploma.’ So here I am.”
And she did it.
