A 90-year-old great-grandmother of 15 graduated from Southern New Hampshire University recently, fulfilling a lifelong dream after decades of sacrifice.
"It's so unreal," Annette Roberge told "Good Morning America" of her accomplishment. "I mean, I know [it's real], I see it on the wall but it's like still being in a dream world."
Roberge, who is also mother of 5 and grandmother of 12, walked across the stage to receive her diploma on Nov. 23.
She first began taking classes at New Hampshire College, (now SNHU) in 1972 shortly after her husband was killed while serving in the U.S. military in Vietnam.
Due to her commitment to care for her kids at the time, Roberge put a pause on her education, a decision she described as "quite easy."
"You gotta go with priorities," she explained. "It wouldn't be fair to them to sacrifice them. I figured the children came first, so I just said, 'Well, I'll put it on hold and I'll finish up one of these days.' And I finally did it."
Roberge later took on part-time jobs to accommodate her young children's schedules at the time before eventually building a long career in the insurance industry.
In 2017, Roberge began exploring options to resume her education but was unable to pursue it due to health reasons and the onset of COVID-19.
However, she recently learned from her daughter's research that she had earned enough credits to graduate with an associate's degree in business administration.
At her 90th birthday celebration on Nov. 13, around two weeks before the graduation ceremony, she announced the news to her family.
"So it was a really fast and whirlwind couple of weeks," she recalled.
When the big day came, Roberge walked the stage to cheers and a standing ovation from other students, attendees and family members.
"I wish I could really describe it, because it was just a feeling that 'I'm here, I'm doing it,' and it's still like in [a] magic land, and it just makes my heart [feels] really good without crying," she told "GMA" of the proud moment.
Her journey isn't stopping there. Roberge plans to begin working toward her bachelor's degree in January.
In a statement to "GMA," a representative from Southern New Hampshire University said Roberge's dream "is also the realization of SNHU's mission: it's never too late to embrace learning."
"We are incredibly proud of Annette earning her associate's degree, and are excited to continue dreaming and learning alongside her as she pursues her bachelor's degree with us," the statement continued.
Sharing her wisdom from her life story that she hopes to pass on to others, Roberge said, "If you have a dream, don't let it just sit there, do something."
"Get it out in public so that you want people to know that no matter what age they are, they can do it," she added.
