An Alabama A&M University student has made history as its oldest graduate in 2024.
In December, Allen Brooks earned his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a concentration in business management. The 60-year-old decided to finally work toward his college degree after the death of his mother, Sarah Pearl.
For years, he had vowed to finish college. Following a failed attempt at Alabama A&M in 1986 on a partial band scholarship, he returned to school in 2020.
“I was only committed to the band, and I allowed myself to make bad grades here and bad grades there,” Brooks told Good Morning America. “But then after a while, I got to a point where I had to leave school. Things [came] up and then I had to get a real job to support myself.”
His mother encouraged him to consider finishing school over the years, which pushed him to go for it.
“Years later, my mom, she always would say to me, ‘I wish you would go back to school one day.’ And I said, ‘Mom, one day, I’m going to do it,'” Brooks said.
In addition to maintaining good grades, he had to work full-time to support his family.
“It was tough. The classes [were] tough. I was still working eight hours a day and going to school, but it was worth it,” he said.
In a TikTok post, Brooks’ daughter, Brionna Washington, shared the emotional day and captured her dad walking across the stage.
“My dad did his BIG ONE!!!! 1st Generation Grad (of 4 gens),” Washington captioned her viral video.
In honor of his mom, the family held customized signs featuring Brooks and his mother embracing with the words “You Did It Son,” during the graduation.
