ATLANTA — Patricia Sias Ellis has waited a long time for this moment—nearly six decades. But this weekend, the 79-year-old will finally walk across the graduation stage at Clayton State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
“I always knew I wasn’t finished,” Ellis said, reflecting on a journey that began right after high school but was quickly put on hold. Instead of college, she poured herself into working and raising a family. Both her husband and son would go on to graduate from Morehouse College. Her own education, however, remained a dream deferred.
That dream was reignited about eight years ago, when her son jokingly told her she was wearing out his couch watching soap operas. He suggested she go to school. Soon after, Ellis enrolled at Atlanta Metropolitan State College, then transferred to Clayton State, taking one or two classes at a time…