Breaking the mold: Meet SUNY Empire’s 77-year-old graduate

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – JUNE 28, 2024) When Maureen Skidmore was a teenager, she wanted to become a missionary. Skidmore knew her dreams would require an education but was concerned about finances and the rarity of attending college at the time.

“Women of the day were mostly relegated to domestic duties and rarely attended college,” Skidmore said. “Even if women did go to college, they seldom used their degrees nor were they encouraged to. The emphasis for women was to find a man and build a family.”

Skidmore said she married one year after her high school graduation and worked for a time, helping to support her family and three children. During the mid-1960s, Skidmore said women began fighting for equal treatment in the workplace and opportunities for education.

“Suddenly there was consciousness of women’s secondary roles,” Skidmore said. “We began celebrating historical female role models and women in droves began attending university and they didn’t always stick to traditional female careers like teaching and nursing.”

The social revolution prompted Skidmore to join the group of women now striving to earn their degrees, enrolling in college in her mid-thirties to study sociology. 100 credits into her program, Skidmore had to withdraw but promised herself she would return.

Nearly 40 years later, she fulfilled that promise and graduated from Empire State University at 77 years old with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. The push to return to college came from a co-worker who earned her degree at 70 years old and inspired Skidmore to take the plunge once again into higher education.

“It was the best decision of my life,” Skidmore said. “I loved every minute of learning. As we finished a course, an instructor would mention we were one step closer to our goal and I always appreciated this encouraging statement.”

Skidmore may not be a missionary, but she is holding true to her promise to achieve an education, now working towards a graduate degree, and helping others through her work.

“Earning my bachelor’s degree made my senior years exciting and it changed me,” Skidmore said. “I am now in graduate school and plan to work in counseling and human services.”