Phyllis Turner, received her MA of Medical Science in 2007 at the age of 94!

She attended the University of Adelaide as a great-great-grandmother. Phyllis says that “Age is no barrier to hard work.” She does admit that her age sometimes does “get to her” but she keeps on plugging away.

Phyllis’s degree is a remarkable achievement not because of her age but because of her backstory. Phyllis had to quit school school at the age of 12 when her father abandoned her family. She left school to help her mother take care of her younger siblings. She later raised seven of her own children and two step-children before she went back to school. She finally made it to college at the age of 70 when she began attending the University of Adelaide. When she was 72 she spent a year studying at the University of California and finally earned a BA in Anthropology from Australian National University.

Jay Leno even invited her to appear on the Tonight Show! Here’s a local news feature in Australia that mentions the invite and has a short clip of Jay Leno mentioning her accomplishment:

Here’s another short video clip from an Australian tv station that covered the event:

While Nola Ochs has gotten a ton of press about being the oldest college graduate, Engage As You Age wants to also spread the word about Phyllis Turner’s similarly remarkable accomplishment. It is another fantastic example of lifetime learning.

Go to http://www.engageasyouage.com/blog for more great examples of people engaging as they age.