Few college graduates have seen what Margie Peed has seen. At 75 years old, Peed has lived through a number of watershed moments in American history.
All of those events pale in comparison to what happened when she graduated from Our Lady of the Lake in San Antonio, Tx., with her 2nd Master’s Degree.
Twenty two years ago Margie Peed decided to get her G.E.D. and then went on to earn her first of four degrees here at Del Mar College.
For older adults retirement is a time to relax, but for Margarita Benitez Peed, it’s about something entirely different.
The 75 year old mother of 7, grandmother of 17, and great-grandmother of 9 just received her 2ndMaster’s degree in Social Work.
"I went to college because I wanted to go to work helping people. There were a lot of times I thought I couldn’t do it anymore; I wanted to quit. But then I thought, I have gone too far, I can’t quit right now," said Peed.
She admits getting to this point has been both a marathon and a sprint.
"I struggled, at my age you need to rest, and I just kept going, and I am still going," said Peed.
Peed, who worked with Mission 911, the Women’s Shelter, and Goodwill as a social worker, credits good health, God and her family for her achievements.
"I think what kept me going, you know, we had struggles, my family, my children and I, we struggled many times, but we made it. You can knock me down, but I am not going to stay down," said Peed.
She will also be the first to tell you it’s never too late to finish what you’ve started, even if it takes more than five decades to do it.
"It was a good feeling, it was worth it, it was worth it," said Peed.
Oh by the way, the 75-year-old mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, who just received her 2nd Master’s degree, earned it with a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
