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A 78-year-old great-grandmother of three has proven that it’s never too late to complete a goal, and while doing so even inspire those closest to you in the process. Vivian Cunningham was “elated” to graduate from Birmingham, Alabama’s Samford University on Saturday, May 8, with her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies after six years of hard work. “Oh I am so excited! It feels good to, you know, have gone through that educational process, she told WVTM 13 just after her graduation. “I am so elated, I feel real good. Very good.” “If I could have done cartwheels across the stage, I would have,” Cunningham told TODAY. ....
A great-grandmother is making headlines for graduating from an Alabama university at the age of 78. Vivian Cunningham received her bachelor’s degree in liberal studies at Samford University’s commencement ceremony over the weekend. She told Today, “If I could have done cartwheels across the stage, I would have.” Vivian Cunningham / Twitter via Stephanie Douglas Samford University The former seamstress reportedly spent six years working toward her degree. She moved to Birmingham from Atlanta as a single mother of two in the late 1960s, where she spent 29 years working a custodial job at the Alabama Power Company. She ultimately worked her way up to managing the mailroom. Cunningham also took advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program. After she retired in 1992, she continued taking classes and earning course credits from several colleges in the Birmingham area. ....
Army Col. Rob Barnes, along with Samford Office of Professional Studies director Bryan Gill and associate director Nicole B. Otero with keeping her on track. “I felt like I wanted to quit at times, but they were behind me 100%,” she said. “They kept pushing me.” Cunningham spent 29 years working as a custodian and then as the head of the mailroom for the Alabama Power Company before retiring in 1992. She then used the company’s tuition reimbursement program to earn an associate degree in paralegal studies from Virginia College, but wasn’t satisfied. “AARP tells us to take some classes and do something instead of just sitting down and being retired, so I kept going,” she said. ....
Updated: 8:37 PM EDT May 10, 2021 WVTM 13 Digital A 78-year-old Birmingham, Alabama, woman earned a bachelor s degree Saturday, showing it s never too late to follow your dreams. Vivian Cunningham, a former seamstress and mother of two who grew up in Titusville, is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from Samford University.And she may not be done. I might go for the master’s degree, Cunningham said. I don’t want to stop. I love to read, I love to sew, I love to watch movies. I don’t want to just sit because I’m retired. I want the knowledge. Cunningham, who worked for 13 years as a custodian before moving her way up to managing all of the company s outside mail, also holds an associate degree in paralegal studies from Virginia College. She credited her family, friends and Samford faculty and staff for helping her finish her degree. Her daughter, Tarra Barnes, said her mother s accomplishment inspired her to contin ....