You've probably heard the saying, "you never stop learning," and a South Florida woman is taking it to heart.
Even with advances in technology and personal struggles, a 57-year-old woman isn't letting age stop her from pursuing a lifelong dream.
Anita Mathieu just graduated with a GED from Sheridan Technical College.
"Good to meet you. You too!" she and her teacher exchanged while sharing a hug.
They’re meeting for the first time. She never once stepped foot inside a classroom, with all of her coursework completed online.
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"To me it was more comfortable, I could do it at my pace," Mathieu said.
"Now a days with the economy taking a dip we see a lot of students coming back to further their education to make themselves more employable. Some have lost their jobs and maybe years ago and didn't need to show that they had graduated," said instructor Lauren Scerbo.
For Mathieu, it became personal.
"I decided I needed to better myself and I needed the education to do it," she said.
But in the middle of the program, she suffered a stroke.
"I had a problem with communication in the beginning and physical therapy that I went though to get back to where I am today.
She says there's no way she could've competed with students half her age without the support of her own family. She remembers when she wanted to visit her children and grandchildren but her husband stopped her.
“He said ‘no you have three more lessons to do and when you get done doing that then you can go’," she said with a smile.
Now she's still pursuing her dreams, something health nor age can defeat.
"My next step, I want to do medical billing and coding here at Sheridan or maybe even Radiology…You're never too old and never give up on your dreams,” Mathieu said with pride.
The online GED course provides email and phone conversations as well as live chat sessions to help guide students through. Besides GED prep, Sheridan offers a variety of online programs that are growing in popularity including certifications in accounting and automotive services.
