EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Rhode Island centenarian has
received something she'd wanted for more than eight decades: her
high school diploma.
East Providence resident Mary Moniz (MOH'-neez) received the
honorary diploma from the Fall River, Massachusetts, school
department on Saturday. She turned 100 on Monday.
Moniz attended high school in Fall River. But she went for only two
years because her family moved back to the Azores amid the Great
Depression.
In 1949, she moved back to the United States. But she never
completed high school. Her son says she always regretted not
finishing.
She says she had wanted to be a history teacher. She worked for a
metal products company for 16 years. She says she's honored to get
her degree.
Her family arranged the honorary diploma by contacting the
education commissioner in Massachusetts.
In
this Saturday, July 26, 2014 photo, Mary Moniz holds her honorary
high school diploma at her home in East Providence, R.I., awarded
by the Fall River, Mass., school department. On Monday she
celebrated her 100th birthday. Moniz attended high school in Fall
River for two years until her family moved back to the Azores amid
the Great Depression. She moved back to the United States in 1949,
but never completed school.
