Created: 5/20/2009 5:41:27 PM 
Forsyth County -- For decades, Steve Beauchamp of Advance doubted he would earn his high school diploma.
The 62-year-old dropped out of Davie High in 1965, started a family and went to work. Forty-four years later, he'll share the graduation stage with his granddaughter.
"I wanted what I refer to as the real thing," said Beauchamp, who enrolled in Forsyth Tech's Adult High School program. "I wanted a high school diploma. I wanted what I was so close to but hadn't quite got there yet."
Beauchamp and his 19-year-old granddaughter, Ashley Trivette, took online courses to earn their diplomas. Trivette dropped out of high school two years ago, but she always planned to return.
"My original intention was to drop out that semester and go back the next," explained Trivette. She said health problems prevented her from returning to school sooner. "I never thought I would be graduating with my grandpa."
After working at Hanesbrands for 40 years, Beauchamp was a victim of layoffs. He knew that having a high school diploma would make him more marketable to employers. So, he decided to return to school.
"It's a late start," said Beauchamp. "But it's where I'm at, and it's the only way I see to get there."
Beauchamp and his granddaughter will receive their diplomas on Thursday at Wait Chapel on the Wake Forest University campus.
WFMY News 2
