Joan Alexander always dreamed of being a teacher. And now, at 88 years old, that dream has finally come full circle, complete with a cap, gown, diploma, and a whole lot of love.
On May 11, the University of Maine honored Joan with a long-overdue Bachelor of Science in Education, six decades after she first began her studies. She’s now likely the oldest undergrad degree recipient in the university’s 160-year history, and definitely one of the most inspiring.
“I didn’t realize that it would mean so much to me,” Joan said after the ceremony. “But I now feel that a hole in my heart has been healed.”
Her daughter, Tracy Alexander, and granddaughter, Isabel Beck, proudly accepted the diploma on Joan’s behalf, with tears and cheers from the crowd. President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said during the event, “Joan’s story characterizes what the Black Bear spirit is all about.”
Back in the late 1950s, Joan was a young education student at the University of Maine. She was on track to graduate in 1959, until life threw her a detour. Joan became pregnant with her first child and, at the time, was prohibited from completing her student teaching. The dream of running her own classroom was put on hold.
But Joan never stopped learning, or caring for others. She raised four daughters while her husband Jim served in the U.S. Coast Guard, often holding down the fort solo during his deployments. She volunteered in her community and even worked full-time as a preschool aide in the early ’80s, an experience the university later recognized as fulfilling her student teaching requirement.
“My parents did not complete college, so this was important to me,” Joan said. “My husband and four daughters have their college degrees, so I was the only one amongst my husband and daughters who had not received a college degree.”
That changed when Tracy, her youngest daughter, contacted the university’s College of Education and Human Development. Associate Dean Justin Dimmel helped find a way forward. Because Joan had completed all her coursework, and had gained real-world teaching experience, the university could finally award her the degree she had so clearly earned.
“I was moved by Joan’s story,” Dimmel said. “Working with Joan, her daughter Tracy and Joan’s family has been a highlight of my academic career.”
And it wasn’t just a win for Joan, it was a victory for perseverance, family, and unfinished dreams. Her story reminded the entire graduating class of 2025 that it’s never too late to chase what matters.
“Joan’s commitment to completing her undergraduate education was inspiring to me, my colleagues and the graduating class,” Dimmel added.
Joan Alexander may not have had her name called in 1959, but in 2025, she got something even better: a standing ovation and a reminder to all of us that sometimes, the longest journeys make for the most meaningful.
