{"id":175944,"date":"2023-06-10T09:33:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-10T13:33:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=175944"},"modified":"2023-06-10T09:36:10","modified_gmt":"2023-06-10T13:36:10","slug":"vincentian-womans-determination-leads-to-college-graduation-at-the-age-of-66","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/vincentian-womans-determination-leads-to-college-graduation-at-the-age-of-66\/","title":{"rendered":"Vincentian Woman&#8217;s Determination Leads to Brooklyn College Graduation at the Age of 66"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-1352780781\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1713336867\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/ce741a73-c70c-446b-af7f-da2abe2b62bb.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p><strong>SOURCE: Searchlight \u2014<\/strong> Former Barrouallie resident triumphed over naysayers to graduate from Brooklyn College (BC), New York at age 66 to show her nieces and nephews that they \u201care never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"antig-2611182502\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_Red-&#038;-Reddy_Web_1000x250\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Cooke graduated from BC in December, 2022, but the school held its commencement on Friday, June 2 2023, when she received her diploma for having completed a Masters of Science degree in Education with a major in Early Childhood Education.<\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-702676777\" class=\"antig-content_5\"><\/div>\n<p>However, in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Cooke said that she wasn\u2019t really furthering her education for herself, as she didn\u2019t have much of a need for the degree.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1742513665\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-2537192430\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_Red-&#038;-Reddy_Web_1000x250\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_Red-Reddy_Web_1000x250.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>\u201c\u2026I\u2019m not really going to use it in a sense, probably if I was in my 30s and 40s; but then I said, I will use it to motivate my nieces and nephews that even at an age that they think that everything is gone, they would still do it.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"antig-806808750\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"culinary\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:843\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:132\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:450\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:337\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:675\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:842\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/culinary-scaled.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1124\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Cooke said she has many nieces and nephews who she thinks need motivation to excel, and because she knew that she could have done it, she decided to pursue her studies for their sake.<\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-1203287681\" class=\"antig-before-youtube-ads socialMedia\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201c\u2026They can look at my example and say, \u2018well okay, since my auntie can do it, I can do it too,\u2019 added to that, well I actually had time on my hands, I lived alone and so on, so I said, let me just use my time constructively and do something\u2026\u201d.<\/p><div id=\"antig-397113275\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500 (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Nevertheless, though her intentions weren\u2019t centred around her benefit, she admitted how proud she is of herself for doing excellent work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverybody\u2019s excited, especially my brother. He kept calling me everyday, everyday, everyday.<\/p><div id=\"antig-4168629719\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"1000436969\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1000436969.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1000436969.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1000436969.jpg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1000436969.jpg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1000436969.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>You know sometimes with the overwhelming work, and you get a little discouraged, I talked to him and he kept motivating me, [saying] \u2018you can do it, just hold on [and] do it\u201d, she said, adding that her nieces and nephews have also encouraged her to keep going, and are now very excited for her achievement.<\/p><div id=\"antig-1649636935\" class=\"antig-content_6 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Cooke said that she wasn\u2019t born with the proverbial silver spoon in her mouth, it was her willingness to excel in everything that she does that got her to where she is in her educational journey.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike everybody else back home, especially in Barrouallie, nobody\u2019s really rich as such, some people are a little more fortunate than others [but] when I went into high school, my aim was to do my very best, to help my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She explained that her mother always had a desire to have one of her children attend a secondary school in Kingstown, and as Cooke was her last child, she pushed her so that she could attend the St Vincent Girls\u2019 High School.<\/p>\n<p>She said that her mother was so strict that she couldn\u2019t participate in the activities that were happening around her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026She believed that you have to do your work, you can\u2019t be playing around\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Cooke said that she became one of the first persons from the area who attended the St Vincent Girls\u2019 High School as in the days of her childhood, one must be exceptional to be accepted into the school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose days, they were just taking a few children, probably 90 or so, and I was fortunate to be one of them so that is what pushed me; and every institution I went, my mantra was, I am going to do my best so that if they are offering a scholarship, I would get one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cooke related though, that she has had comments being made by people about her graduating University after retirement.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, she said that while pursuing her studies in Antigua, someone made a comment about her wanting to get more marks than the rest of her classmates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said of course.<\/p>\n<p>What do you think I came here for? I have my own personal pride at stake, my country at stake, and my future, so of course I want to excel\u2026\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Cooke is encouraging youths to take their education seriously, be disciplined, and try to do their very best because that will get them very far.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey may not see it at their age now, but as they get older, they will realize that education or being educated is very, very important.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also is encouraging people who are within her age group that they can still succeed in education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026Because once I learn, or once we learn, we can teach the younger folks and help them to excel also,\u201d she said, adding that when she returns to St Vincent and the Grenadines she plans to help anyone who needs it at whatever level they are.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-990684684\" class=\"antig-paragraph-12\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-content_inline tdi_2 td_block_template_1\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"antig-990684684\" class=\"antig-paragraph-12\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-content_inline tdi_2 td_block_template_1\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"antig-990684684\" class=\"antig-paragraph-12\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-1438723459\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SOURCE: Searchlight \u2014 Former Barrouallie resident triumphed over naysayers to graduate from Brooklyn College (BC), New York at age 66 to show her nieces and nephews that they \u201care never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.\u201d Cooke graduated from BC in December, 2022, but the school held its [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":175946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-175944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - 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