August 23, 2026
91-Year-Old Georgia Woman Celebrates Historic GED Achievement
Woodyard decided to return to school after watching her four children complete their education.
At 91, Helen Woodyard earned her GED, becoming the oldest person in Georgia to receive the credential in roughly a decade, 11 Alive reports.
Woodyard received her diploma July 29 during West Georgia Technical College’s adult education commencement ceremony in Waco, Georgia. Her achievement came three years after she began taking classes on her 88th birthday.
Woodyard decided to return to school after watching her four children complete their education. She had long regretted not finishing her own.
“I never finished, so I always regretted not getting my diploma,” Woodyard said. “My four children finished, and I always wanted to do what they did.”
Earning the credential required Woodyard to complete more than 900 hours of coursework. She drove herself to class three days a week, studied regularly, and rarely missed class.
Woodyard also had to adapt to technology that had become standard in education since she was last in a classroom. She learned how to use a scientific calculator and the computer programs required for exams with help from her adult education instructors.
“I kept going because I don’t quit anything that I start,” Woodyard said. “The Lord started a work in me, and I was willing to spend all the time I had left before I died to finish.”
Before Woodyard received her diploma, West Georgia Technical College President Julie Post read a congratulatory letter from the mayor of LaGrange recognizing her accomplishment.
Woodyard was among 91 students honored at the ceremony for completing GED/ high school equivalency or English as a Second Language programs.
Her education journey is not ending with her diploma. Woodyard has said she hopes to use what she learned to help other older adults learn to read and write.
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