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.

"This cap is another significant crown I'll wear," Williams told her fellow graduates last Saturday. "And the fact that it comes from Syracuse University, which, after 24 years, I can finally call my alma mater, makes it all the more meaningful."

When Wilson puts on her black cap and gown tonight in Tennessee, it will be a significant signpost in what has been a long road to receiving her diploma.

Wilson dropped out of school in ninth grade at the age of 15 to move in with an older man who offered her a chance at stability. In her 2006 memoir, "Redneck Woman: Stories From My Life," she wrote about a childhood that was violent and unpredictable. Her family bounced from town to town in southern Illinois to the Miami area as her stepfather changed jobs, which meant Wilson attended as many as three schools in one year.

Leaving home meant leaving school, she told The Tennessean newspaper, as she took jobs to help support herself. She spent what would have been her high school year singing in bars and on stages, and at 23, moved to Nashville, where she met the singers from Big & Rich. That connection led to the single "Redneck Woman" and appearances on television, at the Super Bowl and every major awards show at the age of 31.

In one of her first interviews during that wave of media attention, Wilson spoke about getting her GED or general equivalency diploma, but it wasn't until last spring that her management got in touch with Wilson High School principal Mayfield.

When Mayfield sat down with Wilson, he said, she had no "star attitude," just a sincere desire to get her diploma. She even wanted to live out some of the high school experience by attending games and sitting in classes, but with her touring schedule, Mayfield thought it best to refer her to the Adult Learning Center of Wilson County.

There, she met with director Bernadine Nelson, who convinced her to speak at the upcoming graduation ceremony. "When she walked on stage, that place absolutely erupted," Nelson told ABC News, adding that five or six people called afterward to sign up for GED classes.

Nelson's teachers provided Wilson with materials to study while she was on the road, and they assisted with her most difficult subject, math. When it came time for the April 12 test, Nelson said, "She knocked the top out it."

Like Williams, the inspiration for Wilson to finish her education came from her daughter, 7-year-old Grace. "Even though, financially, Gretchen does not need her GED -- she has a corporation that employs about 40 people -- she wants her daughter to be grounded, to understand that education is important, no matter what you do," said Nelson.

Nelson believes Wilson could also be an inspiration to others, and has encouraged her to become a spokesperson for adult education. She said 93 million Americans age 25 and older are without a high school diploma. "People don't realize how vital adult education is," she said. "I told her, 'You speak to that population well.'"

Some might argue that a high school diploma or college degree is not a necessity for a celebrity. "It's not one of the requirements you have to have to become a star," Joe Galante, the chairman of Wilson's label, Sony BMG Nashville, told The Tennessean.

But Syracuse's Clarke sees a correlation between athletes and aspiring stars. Just as athletes are encouraged to get their college degree before turning pro, she argues that aspiring actors and musicians should do the same to prepare themselves for the time outside of the limelight.

Having a college degree also makes celebrities, such as Jodie Foster, Brooke Shields and Natalie Portman, stand out from their peers, Clarke said. "There's an added recognition, an added value."