Vivian Fisher, a 98-year-old California woman, recently graduated from high school, fulfilling a longstanding desire.
Fisher got her diploma in a drive-thru ceremony with her great-grandnephew, Elijah Vance, as part of Monrovia High School’s Class of 2020, according to Black News.
Vance’s father leased a van for the entire family to ensure that everyone could attend both of their graduation ceremonies.
“We had 12 people in there so we loaded it up everybody was able to come that wanted to come,” said Jason Vance, Vivian’s great-nephew, to KABC.
Fisher couldn’t finish high school because she had to work many jobs to support her family.
Her dream of graduating had been in the works for 82 years, but she never allowed time to get in the way.
“This graduation ceremony will go down as one of the most unique and exceptional graduations that this school has had,” said Kirk McGinnis, principal of Monrovia High School, to KABC.
Fisher isn’t the only member of her family who has made history. According to Black News, her father was the first Black graduate of Monrovia High School and the first Black police officer in the city.
Fisher met with reporters in the park named after her father to discuss her remarkable achievement.
She added that it was because of her hard work that she was able to realize her ambition, and she encouraged others to never give up.
“Stay in school and be somebody,” she told CBS News. “Being a nobody, anybody can do that.”
