N.C. A&T Alumni Times

On Saturday, Dec. 9, more than 950 North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students were awarded degrees across many different disciplines. These students are more than a number. They represent great stories of perseverance, academic excellence and achievement.

Here is one of their fascinating stories towards their academic interests:

It’s never too late to learn. It’s never too late to start and it’s never too late to finish.”

A senior in high school in 1967, Lillian Faucette only had one school she planned on attending. It was N.C. A&T. “If A&T hadn’t accepted me I would have been devastated, because that’s where I wanted to go.” And she did go. She began her freshman year in August, 1967, a nursing student. Her life took off from there. Marriage her sophomore year, beginning a family her junior year.

“My husband was in the military. My junior year he went to Vietnam. I finished my junior year, but that summer I moved with him to live on base. It was my goal to come back and finish, but during that time we started our family and I never did come back. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t come back earlier. As a matter of fact, I did come back. I came back to A&T in the 80s, but only took one class, this time I was determined to come back and finish." But why?

“I must admit I'm one of those people who likes to finish what I started and that was the one thing in my life that I hadn’t finished.

Having raised two children and encouraging them to finish things they start it was heavily on my heart that I didn’t do what I stressed so much for them to do. I’ll admit I was a little bit jealous. My husband has a degree hanging on the wall and we’ve been married for 48 years. We have two sons. My oldest son has two degrees hanging on his wall. My youngest son is an A&T graduate and he has two degrees hanging on his wall. I was the only one that didn’t. I have grandchildren and I want them to see that education is important and if you start something, you need to finish it. I want them to know it’s never too late to learn. It’s never too late to start and it’s never too late to finish.”

Through the Aggies at the Goal line program, Lillian just received a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in African American studies.

To read more of our graduate stories, please click here.