75-Year-Old Peggy E. Moore Earns Bachelor’s Degree From The Same University She Worked At For 44 Years – AfroTech

Seventy-five-year-old Peggy E. Moore is now a college graduate at the very university she has worked at for 44 years.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Moore has worked in the provost’s office at Temple University since 1989. She first served as a receptionist in the medical school admissions department and then in the university budget office a few years earlier. She had initially transferred to the school to pursue her bachelor’s degree in 1980 after attending the Community College of Philadelphia to get her associate’s. Though she took a pause from her education to raise her young sons, she never lost sight of her goal to complete her bachelor’s degree, according to the outlet.

“When I felt myself getting stressed, I would stop like a semester or two, and then I would start back up,“ she said.

Fast forward to 2026, and she has earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies. Now “Temple Made,” as a new graduate, she joins a group of 138 students who earned academic degrees in 2026, excluding student workers, the outlet notes. Additionally, she was the oldest graduate in Temple University’s 2026 class, becoming one of 62 people age 75 or older to earn a bachelor’s degree at the school since its opening.

“It means a whole lot to me,” Moore told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s something I’ve worked for throughout all these years and I’ve finally accomplished.”

Dan Berman, former vice provost of undergraduate studies, commented:

“Temple is Peggy made. Anyone who walked into that office, she would really help. She would actually solve people’s problems, not just tell them how to do it. That really set the tone for our office.”

“I don’t want to be left behind,” she explained, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. “I want to stay in the know.”