RICE LAKE, WI — For more than 60 years, Norma Lund waited for the chance to walk across a graduation stage. This spring, at 84 years old, she finally did.
Lund received her General Education Development (GED) diploma during Northwood Technical College’s spring commencement ceremony in Rice Lake surrounded by family, fellow graduates and college staff celebrating alongside her.
She was also surprised during the ceremony when her nephew, Roger Stanford, president of Western Technical College, stepped forward to personally present her diploma. Stanford, who is retiring in August, had kept the moment a secret from Lund beforehand.
Lund left high school after her junior year to get married and begin raising a family. “I left school after my junior year to get married. I got out of school in May. I got married in June, and a year later, I had my best graduation present,” Lund said, referring to the birth of her first son. She was just 16 when she left school to marry and began raising a family that would eventually include four children.
“Life moved quickly after that, raising four children, moving for work, and taking care of our family. School just kept getting pushed to the side,” she said.
Over the years, Lund and her family moved throughout Wisconsin and California while she worked a variety of jobs before eventually spending 22 years working at a local bank.
Decades later, Lund decided it was finally time to finish what she had started. Last summer, she enrolled in the GED program at Northwood Tech and attended weekly one-on-one instruction sessions on campus.
“I found out pretty quick that I could still learn new things,” she said, laughing. “You don’t forget as much as you think you do.”
After seven weeks, Lund completed her coursework and earned her GED certificate. Reflecting on the experience, Lund said returning to school gave her a renewed sense of confidence and gratitude.
“My experience has been very humbling,” she said. “It makes me realize how good I’ve had it and how much better I could have had it if I had finished school years ago. But then, who knows where I would have ended up? If I’d had more education, I would have wanted more. I would have wanted to go on to be a teacher.”
Now, after waiting more than six decades to earn her diploma, Lund hopes her story encourages others who may still be considering returning to school.
“Get it if it’s possible,” she said. “I understand that life gets in the way of a lot of things, but if it’s important enough to you that you’re thinking about it, then do it.”
To learn more about Northwood Tech, click here.
About Northwood Technical College
Northwood Technical College, a nationally top-ranked college and 2026-27 Gold Military Friendly School, has served the educational and career needs of more than 14,000 residents of Northwest Wisconsin each year for 115 years. Support of our donors is appreciated as it removes financial roadblocks for students. To help, click here.
Northwood Tech is a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and an Equal Opportunity/Access/Affirmative Action/Veterans/Disability Employer and Educator. For more information, visit NorthwoodTech.edu or call 800.243.9482.
Last Update: Jun 17, 2026 10:12 am CDT
