Celeb Dropouts Finally Graduate

May 15, 2008— -- They have fame, wealth, No. 1 records and numerous awards and accolades, but the one thing they lacked until now was a piece of paper that would make them graduates.

Tonight, in Lebanon, Tenn., country singer Gretchen Wilson, whose first single "Redneck Woman" earned her a 2005 Grammy, will receive an award at the age of 34 that means just as much: her high school diploma.

Last weekend, it was actress Vanessa Williams' turn to don a cap and gown, when she received her bachelor's degree from Syracuse University, 24 years after she was a student majoring in musical theater.

Clearly, Wilson and Williams have found wealth and success without diplomas or degrees, but for both, the opportunity to finish what they started years ago ranks up there with their other accomplishments.

"Money can't buy everything," said Travis Mayfield, the principal of Wilson Central High School, where Wilson first looked into getting her diploma. "Here's somebody who's obviously very successful. At the same time, she had a need to complete something."

The same could be said for Williams. She always imagined returning to Syracuse to finish what she started more than two decades ago, or as the "Ugly Betty" star told her fellow graduates of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, where she was the convocation speaker last Saturday, "that's 10 in Wilhelmina Slater years."

Williams left Syracuse after her sophomore year when she became the first black Miss America. Toward the end of her reign, she gave up the crown when nude photographs of her surfaced in Penthouse magazine. She then went on to become a major recording artist and began acting in film, stage and television.

In 1996, Syracuse awarded her the university's highest alumni honor, even though she technically was not an alumna. When her daughter began attending Syracuse last fall, the university spoke to Williams about conferring an honorary degree, Ann Clarke, the visual and performing arts dean, told ABC News.

Clarke said Williams had a better idea -- why not get her actual degree? Members of the faculty, some of whom taught Williams when she was a student, pored over her transcripts and concluded, that with all her industry experience on stage and screen, she could fulfill her remaining credits.