Now she’s the proud owner of an associate’s degree and has plans to attend Hunter College where she’ll work towards her bachelor’s degree. When Thomas was 18 years old she moved from the Caribbean island of Grenada to to New York to be with her mother. She eventually found work cleaning houses and working as a nanny.
She dreamed of completing school, but one thing led to another and decades passed.
It wasn’t until Thomas was 48 years old that she earned her GED, and then just a few years later at 51 she earned her associate’s degree in public health from Borough of Manhattan Community College.
Thomas was even on the dean’s list!
“I worked very hard for this,” Thomas said. “I didn’t have a high school diploma. Because I’m a go-getter, you can’t tell me no. I will do it.”
Despite being older than the average college student, Thomas is just getting started. She plans to continue her education at Hunter College in hopes of achieving her ultimate goal of providing her community with access to better health care and healthy food options.
