| When painting the picture of a 70-year old, for many, the ideal description would hardly include the characteristics of a college student’s life –homework, test prep or in-class presentations.
On Dec. 14, at fall commencement, 74-year-old Bertha Dixon walked across the stage having successfully completed the requirements to earn a PhD in Leadership Studies from N.C. A&T State University.
This degree added to her already impressive collection of academic achievements.
Dixon has earned a B.A. in Business Education from Savannah State University, M.A. in Education from Northeastern Illinois University, M.A. in Curriculum and Administration from Chicago State University and a J.D. from DePaul University.
She attributes her love of education to her father. As she reflects on her humble upbringing in the small town of Hazlehurst, GA she remembers how much her father valued education. His goal, she said, “was to educate as many of us as possible.”
“My dad’s plan was that we would all work together to get my two older sisters out (of college) and then each one of us would reach down and bring the younger ones out of college,” she said.
Out of her 12 siblings, 10 have earned master’s degrees or above.
Although her doctoral program is complete she has no plans of sitting idly. Her immediate goals are to become a professor at N.C. A&T, take the bar exam and practice law in North Carolina or become a consultant.
“When I retired they asked me what I wanted. I told them a rocking chair, but it would only be for decoration,” she said.
Dixon practiced law for 26 years in Illinois where she also spent time as a teacher and then administrator in the Chicago public school system. In 2006 she became an adjunct professor in the School of Business and Economics at N.C. A&T.
Her key piece of advice for students of any age is simply, “have a goal.”
“Have a time frame for that goal and don’t let anyone or anything get in your way of reaching that goal,” she said.
By: Courtney J. Jackson |
