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Maine mom finishes law degree at age 60, fulfilling a goal three decades in the making

"I imagined over the years that I could do it but I didn't know what I was getting into."

Maine mom finishes law degree at age 60, fulfilling a goal three decades in the making

"I imagined over the years that I could do it but I didn't know what I was getting into."

HOUSE, AND THE DECADES- LONG JOURNEY TO THAT LAW SCHOOL DIPLOMA. ((NAT) DEE HOUSE HAS IMAGINED HER GRADUATION FROM LAW SCHOOL SINCE SHE WAS FIRST ADMITTED 30 YEARS AGO. 4:23-26-31 TODAY I'M LIKE LOOKING BACK THINKING OH MY GOD I CAN'T BELIEVE IT AFTER HER FIRST SEMESTER BACK IN 1992, WITH THREE YOUNG KIDS AND A HOME IN LEE... SHE MADE ONE OF THE TOUGHEST DECISIONS OF HER LIFE 4:18:37-44 I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO LEE AND RAISE MY FAMILY AND I IT WASN'T AN EASY DECISION AT ALL AND I WAS VERY SAD FOR MANY YEARS BUT THAT DREAM LINGERED FOR YEARS... 4:19:25-35 SO ITS 2017 I HAD PRETTY MUCH THOUGHT THAT LAW SCHOOL WAS GONNA HAPPEN FOR ME IN MY LIFETIME BUT I STILL COULDN'T GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD THAT YEAR, JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS, SHE GOT HER SECOND ACCEPTANCE LETTER, WELCOMING HER BACK, AT 57-YEARS- OLD 4:22:40-50 I JOKINGLY CALL MYSELF AN OLD LADY ALTHOUGH THE GIRL THAT LIVE INSIDE ME DOESN'T FEEL LIKE AN OLD LADY BUT I LOOK AT MY PICTURES AND I'M LIKE THAT'S AN OLD LADY LOOKING BACK AT ME. DEE IS A GOLD STAR MOM - IN 2007, HER SON JOEL WAS KILLED IN IRAQ... 4:24:56-25:05 THAT BASICALLY TOOK A 10 YEARS SLICE OUT OF MY LIFE TO COME BACK TO BEING ABLE TO DREAM AND HOPE AGAIN HIS BRAVERY AND COURAGE ARE REMINDER TO DEE THAT SHE CAN DO HARD THINGS, LIKE GOING GETTING HER LAW DEGREE AT THE AGE OF 60. SHE AND HER HUSBAND RUN A RETREAT IN LEE THAT HELPS VETERANS HEAL BY CONNECTING THEM WITH THE OUTDOORS... THEY WANT TO NATIONALIZE THEIR MODEL, AND THINK DEE'S DEGREE WILL HELP THEM GET THERE... IN THAT WAY, HER JURIS DOCTORATE ... IS FULFILLING TWO DREAMS.... 4:25:55-26:00 I IMAGINED OVER THE YEARS THAT I COULD DO IT BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO AT 57- YEARS-OLD THREE YEARS LATER, DIPLO
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Maine mom finishes law degree at age 60, fulfilling a goal three decades in the making

"I imagined over the years that I could do it but I didn't know what I was getting into."

Dee House has imagined her graduation from law school since she was first admitted 30 years ago."Today I’m looking back, thinking, 'Oh my God. I can’t believe it,'" House said, because Saturday, that day finally arrived.After her first semester at the University of Maine School of Law back in 1992, with three young kids and a home in Lee, Maine, she made one of the toughest decisions of her life."I decided to go back to Lee and raise my family and it wasn’t an easy decision at all, and I was very sad for many years," House said.And for many years, that dream lingered."So it’s 2017. I had pretty much thought that law school was not gonna happen for me in my lifetime, but I still couldn’t get it out of my head," House said.That year, just before Christmas, she got her second acceptance letter, welcoming her back at 57 years old."I jokingly call myself an old lady, although the girl that lives inside me doesn’t feel like an old lady, but I look at my pictures and I’m like that’s an old lady looking back at me," House said.House is a Gold Star mom. In 2007, her son, Joel, was killed in Iraq."That basically took a 10-year slice out of my life to come back to being able to dream and hope again," she said.Joel’s bravery and courage are a reminder to House that she can do hard things, like get her law degree at the age of 60.She and her husband run a retreat in Lee that helps veterans heal by connecting them with the outdoors. They want to nationalize their model and think House’s degree will help them do that.In that way, her Juris Doctorate is fulfilling two dreams."I imagined over the years that I could do it, but I didn’t know what I was getting into at 57 years old," House said.Three years later, diploma in hand, she’s unstoppable.

Dee House has imagined her graduation from law school since she was first admitted 30 years ago.

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"Today I’m looking back, thinking, 'Oh my God. I can’t believe it,'" House said, because Saturday, that day finally arrived.

After her first semester at the University of Maine School of Law back in 1992, with three young kids and a home in Lee, Maine, she made one of the toughest decisions of her life.

"I decided to go back to Lee and raise my family and it wasn’t an easy decision at all, and I was very sad for many years," House said.

And for many years, that dream lingered.

"So it’s 2017. I had pretty much thought that law school was not gonna happen for me in my lifetime, but I still couldn’t get it out of my head," House said.

That year, just before Christmas, she got her second acceptance letter, welcoming her back at 57 years old.

"I jokingly call myself an old lady, although the girl that lives inside me doesn’t feel like an old lady, but I look at my pictures and I’m like that’s an old lady looking back at me," House said.

House is a Gold Star mom. In 2007, her son, Joel, was killed in Iraq.

"That basically took a 10-year slice out of my life to come back to being able to dream and hope again," she said.

Joel’s bravery and courage are a reminder to House that she can do hard things, like get her law degree at the age of 60.

She and her husband run a retreat in Lee that helps veterans heal by connecting them with the outdoors. They want to nationalize their model and think House’s degree will help them do that.

In that way, her Juris Doctorate is fulfilling two dreams.

"I imagined over the years that I could do it, but I didn’t know what I was getting into at 57 years old," House said.

Three years later, diploma in hand, she’s unstoppable.