"One UWI, One Alumni Family"
City of Parkland Honors Jamaican -American Violet Edwards as 5th Oldest Degree Recipient in the World
Violet E. Edwards is a Jamaican American who became the fifth oldest person to graduate from college in the United States at 96 years and 263 days old. She was awarded her degree by Mercy College, New York on Saturday, June 25, 2022. She was later recognized and honoured by The UWI with the Launch of the Violet E. Edwards academic Scholarship valued at $400,000 annually to be awarded to a Jamaican student for a maximum tenure of 3 years with preference being given to returning students who dropped out due to hardship. Following her recognition by The UWI Violet E has been recognised by The City of Oakland in Florida United states for her achievement.
Ms. Edwards, the oldest person in Florida and the oldest Black American to have graduated from college, is a resident of the city. She was presented with her recognition certificate at the monthly meeting of the Parkland City Commission on Wednesday, August 17th.
Violet started college in the 1980s at the College of New Rochelle but never finished because she had to tend to her family. Ironically, part of the help she provided to her family was paying for her daughter to go to medical school. For decades she worked in her daughter’s practice before deciding last year to finish her degree studies. The College of New Rochelle where she started her degree program went out of business, but that didn’t stop the Jamaican from achieving her dreams. She got her credits transferred to Mercy College and took online courses. She ended up with a 4.0-grade point average, and at 96 years and 263 days old, she was conferred her Associate of Science degree on June 25, 2022, at her retirement home in the city.
To achieve her degree at her age and decades after starting is a fantastic feat.
