TRENTON, N.J. — For most senior citizens it is time to relax and forget about working and getting an education, but for Maise Daughtry it was time to think about earning college degrees.
Daughtry, now 74-years-old, enrolled at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) in 2001, and later earned two associate’s degrees in Music and then in Liberal Studies. And, recently she earned her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies with a minor in Sociology from William Paterson University (WPU) via MCCC’s satellite campus partnership.
“I’ve always been a person who’s interested in education, but of course your track doesn’t go the way you think you should go,” says Daughtry.
With the “heavy urging” of her mother, who could not afford to send Daughtry to college, she began working for the Social Security Administration (SSA) as a teenager, and remained there for more than 37 years.
While working at the SSA, Daughtry got married and had a son and a daughter and also now two adult grandchildren.
Then, she could have retired at age 35, but she did not “because I didn’t know what to do with myself,” she said.
So, one day when she heard a co-worker on the phone speaking about her son’s enrollment at MCCC, she got the brilliant idea to become a student too.
“I thought, ‘that’s what I can do.’ So I went to school,” said Daughtry.
After 17 years of studying at MCCC and WPU combined, Daughtry recently obtained her Bachelor of Arts, and graduated with honors at a ceremony at MCCC.
She had obstacles and interruptions during her time studying. She fell ill with kidney and other health problems.
“But I never gave up the longing to go back to school,” she says.
Instead, she adjusted her schedule from being a full-time student to becoming a part-time one.
While studying among other students, Daughtry was always the oldest. She said she spent most of her time sitting next to 20-somethings.
“But you know what? It’s been amazing,” she said.
She talks about “the kind of respect” from younger students, “and the professors, oh my goodness, they always said they were happy to have me in class because I participate, and that often turns the tide of discussion because the younger students didn’t always see things in a certain light, but I could because of my life experiences.”
She adds, “That’s what being older brings.”
Daughtry was a student in Samantha Oras, adjunct professor of Women’s and Gender Studies in Fall 2017.
Oras said, “She was a fantastic addition to the class, and her life experiences enhanced the discussions…She brought an historical perspective of women’s lives throughout 7 decades”
Given her experiences, Daughtry has advice to other senior citizens who are considering college.
“Well of course there could be, and in my case there were health issues, which can play a role in you being able to continue. But somehow or another, I was always able to ride it out and keep going. I didn’t let that stop me…I just lived in the now. Live in the now,” she advises.
She also said that in general she feels good and that is because of her positive outlook and her faith in God. And, she talked about the support of her family and friends who encourage her.
Her other interests includes being a classical musician and singer who plans to keep performing until she can no longer do so.
Daughtry said she also likes to cook, and her family loves her sweet potato pies, candied yams and apple crisps.
“These are the hits. My family’s favorites,” she said.
For now, she said she would like to “work with our young black men who are incarcerated for minor crimes…and also to work with the elderly, placing them in homes. Those are some of the things on my heart,” she added.
Next, Daughtry plans to start work on a graduate degree in liberal studies soon, and hopes it will take her two to four years part-time to earn it.