‘Most rewarding’: 97-year-old who left school to take care of her family receives honorary diploma

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX/Gray News) — A Mississippi woman received her long-awaited high school diploma this week.

Etta Mae Williams, 97, received an honorary diploma from the Bay-Waveland School District on Monday.

Williams put on her cap and gown and accepted the diploma as a member of the Class of 2026.

“Good things come to those who wait, and I patiently waited,” Williams said. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. But I got it.”

Williams left school when she was young to help support her family. Years later, she tried to go back to school, but COVID-19 derailed those plans.

“I finally got this piece of paper I always wanted,” Williams said. “I worked the whole way through it. Thank the Lord I got it.”

Her great-niece, Britney Williams, has admired that determination.

“She had to drop out of school to help out. She had to work. She had to help provide for the family when her father passed,” Britney Williams said. “And so, just to keep striving. Just to keep going on. To fulfill her education means a lot.”

Etta Mae Williams’ dream came true after a community member asked Superintendent Sandra Reed if the district could help make it happen.

Reed said the decision was easy, especially after she learned all eight of Etta Mae Williams’ children graduated from Bay High School.

“I can honestly say that this was the most rewarding diploma that I’ve ever handed out,” Reed said. “Just the joy, the love, the grace were just overflowing from her. And it was just my honor.”

Mississippi Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III also presented Etta Mae Williams with a proclamation honoring her hard work.

“You’re never too old to learn,” Etta Mae Williams said. “I tried, I tried, I tried, and I succeeded. Thank you.”