Never too late: Local woman reaches college goals at 60

MARSHFIELD — It’s never too late to follow your dreams, and Barbara Dickson is living proof.

After years of wanting to earn a college degree, Dickson accomplished that goal at age 60.

Dickson said her journey began in 1988 when she first attended nursing school. However, her education was put on hold when one of her children became ill.

She said missing classes set her back significantly, and financial challenges made it difficult to continue.

Nearly four years ago, Dickson decided to return to school following a major turning point in her life.

“About four years ago, my life kind of just came crumbling down. I went through a divorce and I was thinking, you know, I could sit here and feel sorry for myself and just get by, or I can do what I’ve always wanted to do and go back to school and make something of myself and show my grandkids that even at my age it’s still okay to go back to school,” said Dickson.

Dickson said a longtime relationship also played a role in her decision.

“I had a friend that lived in Athens and we’ve always been close. He was the love of my life, but I already had kids and he wanted kids of his own. I couldn’t have any more kids, so I felt that loving him so much, I should let him go so that he could venture off to have his own and he ended up meeting someone and marrying her in Athens, having several kids,” stated Dickson.

Years later, that same person — Jason Beasley — reconnected with her through Facebook.

“He’s like, ‘Hey, what’s up stranger?’ And I asked him how his wife and kids were, and he goes ‘Well, kids are great. I’m divorced’ and I was like ‘Wait what?’ I told him I just filed for divorce, and I’m going to Chicago to meet up with a middle school, high school, best friend, and so we ended up meeting up with him,” recalled Dickson.

With Beasley’s encouragement and support, she returned to school and earned her associates degree of applied science in healthcare, with honors, from Rasmussen University.

Dickson became the first in her family to earn a college degree.

While pursuing her degree, Dickson faced several challenges, including spending holidays away from her family, undergoing knee surgery, reinjuring that same knee in a fall and breaking her dominant wrist.

Despite these obstacles, she continued her education.

During the time she broke her wrist, Dickson was enrolled in a human growth and development course that required handwritten and hand-drawn assignments.

“This teacher wanted everything hand drawn and handwritten. So, I had to learn to draw with my right hand, and like we had to do the heart, the lungs, you know all the anatomy on it on the body. And one of the residents at my job, I took my heart in and I had to color it and everything and he looked at me, you know, and I was just disappointed in myself because I couldn’t use my left hand. He goes, ‘Barb, that’s refrigerator worthy, if I had kids, I would hang this.’ and I looked at him and I said ‘You know what? I’ll get it graded and then I’ll bring it back in, and you can hang it on your fridge.’ And that just teared me up, because that was the first refrigerator art he ever had,” stated Dickson.

Residents where she works, celebrated her accomplishment by watching her graduation on the facility’s big screen TV.

Dickson said she earned her degree not only for herself, but also for her family and the residents she serves.