MIDLAND, Texas — High school graduation is a milestone into adulthood for a lot of teenagers.
However, there are some adults who didn’t get the chance to earn their diploma.
But for one Midland woman who didn’t get the chance either, she wasn’t going to let it stand 43 years later.
61-year-old Teresa Ramirez was just months away from graduation back in 1980, but that just didn’t end up happening at the time.
“I was in high school, and it was my last semester, and I was just going through a lot of things," said Ramirez. "I was working and struggling, so I just dropped out. I always wanted to graduate, but things just didn’t go that way.”
It wasn’t until this year that she fulfilled the promise she made to herself. To earn a high school diploma.
Best of all, she got to graduate alongside her grandson.
She's so happy to have gotten to this point.
"It means a whole lot, because I know my mom and dad wanted me to graduate," said Ramirez. "You know, family of eight, they wanted all their children to graduate, and for myself as well. I just felt like I accomplished a lot, I got my diploma and it's just awesome. It's a great feeling."