SEATTLE, April 19 (UPI) -- A woman whose dream of earning a college degree was derailed in 1942 has received an honorary Seattle Pacific University degree, the school's president says.
Seattle Pacific President Philip Eaton said bestowing the honorary degree to Kimiko Nagaoka Mukai as she celebrated her 90th birthday Saturday night was the school's way of recognizing the Seattle resident's ability to overcome adversity, The Seattle Times reported Sunday.
"We're proud that she attended SPU and that she was able to move beyond the painful circumstances of internment to live a full and successful life," Eaton said in an e-mail to Mukai's family.
Mukai had been attending Seattle Pacific in 1942 when the school was called Seattle Pacific College, the Times said. But her degree hopes were dashed when she was interned along with other Japanese Americans following the Japanese attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
While Mukai never returned to complete her Christian education degree, more than 100 friends and family members were on hand to witness her receiving her honorary degree Saturday.
