Dearborn Woman Gets High School Diploma On 100th Birthday

DEARBORN, MI — A Dearborn woman received her high school diploma from Fordson High School Nov. 25 on her 100th birthday.

Jacquelina Junker was a teenager during the Great Depression, when living was made especially complicated due to a struggling economy. It was the 1930s and Junker, the eldest of seven children and a ninth-grade student at Fordson High School, was forced to quit school and find a job to help support her family, the district said.

Junker always regretted not finishing high school, her granddaughter, Erin King, said.

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Junker's family was looking for a way to celebrate her 100th birthday with her during the COVID-19 pandemic when they arranged with Fordson High School for Junker to receive an honorary diploma from the school for her birthday.

Fordson also provided Junker with a 2020 shirt and a graduation cap and tassel, the school said. Fordson Principal Heyam Alcodray presented the diploma to Junker via a Zoom call on her birthday.

“She was extremely thankful,” Alcodray said.

Family gathered outside Junker’s home for her birthday holding signs to celebrate both her birthday and the diploma, the school said.