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A Maryland woman received her college degree the day after her 82nd birthday. On Tuesday, May 17th, Washington, D.C., native Mae A. Beale celebrated her 82nd birthday. The next evening, she walked across the stage for her graduation from the University of Maryland Global Campus, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business management. She plans to use her degree in her event planning business, In Grand Style, that she’s run since 1994.
A retired practical nurse, Beale has been recognized multiple times for her involvement in her community. In 2012, she was awarded the Howard County Lifetime Achievement Award. Then in 2016, she was inducted into the Howard County Women’s Hall of Fame and also received the Associated Black Charities’ Women on the Move Award.
Now that she has her degree, Beale says “the sky’s the limit” on her future plans. And she encourages others to never let anyone keep them from achieving their dreams. “You don’t ever, ever let people deter you, because people always want to tell you what to do, how to do, when to do,” she says. “But you have to do you.”