One Day After Turning 82, A Prince George's Woman Graduates With Her College Degree

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The day after her birthday, 82-year-old Mae Beale graduated from college. She received her bachelor's degree in business management from the University of Maryland Global Campus, which she hopes will help her with her event planning business.

Beale returned to school in her late 70s to pursue her degree after she'd spent years working as a licensed practical nurse in Washington, D.C. Her health care career included time spent at Children's National Hospital, the National Naval Center now known as Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Washington VA Medical Center Hospital. It was while working at the department of health and human services' centers for Medicare and Medicaid that she launched her event planning business and eventually decided to return to college.

"I discovered that I had to be intentional about it and make it my priority," she said. "My supervisors thought I had something special. When I was working at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, I organized some large events and everybody was impressed with it, so I started coordinating their IT information conferences.”

Beale's growing event planning business, In Grand Style, led her to start working toward her associate degree in business management at Howard Community College. After earning that degree, there was no stopping Beale. She enrolled at UMGC and began working on her bachelor's degree, one class at a time.

“I wanted to make certain I had the time to devote to whichever class I was taking,” she said. “I was like the tortoise. Slow and steady wins the race.”

At UMGC, Beale made the Dean's List several times and graduated with honors.

She also spent time serving on UMGC's student advisory council. Even after she finished her coursework, she continued as an ex-officio member until her term ended in December 2020. In January 2021, Beale was honored as volunteer of the month.

Well into her retirement as a licensed practical nurse and now as a community advocate with her bachelor of business management in hand, Beale is busier than ever. She has joined a few more local boards, including those of the Howard County, Maryland Tourism and Promotion, the Restaurant Association, the Festival of the Arts and the Columbia Bright Minds Association.

“I knew that if I had the degree, it would solidify things and make me feel more comfortable,” she said.

She credits her husband and son for supporting her all throughout the years. While her husband passed away several years ago, her son remains one of her biggest supporters.

“I tell everyone my husband allowed me to be me,” she said. “Whatever ambition or whatever I was doing, he was always my biggest, encourager and my biggest motivator.”