Denied Her Degree After Getting Pregnant, 88-Year-Old Finally Graduates

Now a grandmother and a graduate, Joan Alexander is proof that it’s never too late for moms.

Alexander was in her twenties, studying to become a teacher at the University of Maine, when she became pregnant with her first child in 1959. What remains a challenge for many today—completing a college degree while raising a family—was even harder then. Without the protections of Title IX, the landmark legislation passed in 1972 that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs, universities could—and often did—pause or remove pregnant women from their programs entirely.

For Alexander, that meant being barred from completing her student teaching requirement. Without that final component, she was denied her diploma, even after fulfilling every other academic obligation.

Now 60+ years later, Alexander is finally being recognized for all she accomplished. After seeing her mother regularly volunteer at schools—reading to preschoolers and supporting local teachers—her youngest daughter, Tracey, reached out to the University of Maine to see if anything could be done. Following a quick review of her records, the university confirmed that Alexander had indeed met all her academic requirements. She was granted her degree and invited to walk in the university’s graduation ceremony.

“I hadn’t realized that I had this big hole in my life, and that’s what it was—the lack of the diploma,” Alexander told NBC News. Now, she joins her four daughters as a college graduate—something Tracey is proud to celebrate. “It made me sad that she did everything she could and wasn’t able to graduate,” Tracey told the outlet. When the news came through, she couldn’t wait to share it: “I said, ‘Mom, you’re going to be a graduate,’ and we both cried.”

While Title IX has made strides in protecting students from pregnancy discrimination, Alexander’s story is a reminder that support for student parents—especially moms—is still needed. That includes on-campus childcare, family housing options and policies that help parents balance education and caregiving.

In the end, Alexander didn’t just earn her degree, she made history as the oldest graduate from the University of Maine. “After I got it, that hole filled up and I felt like I was a finished person,” she said.