WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Georgia Military College has been memorializing a Warner Robins native through a scholarship fund since 2016.
Barbara Shaheen wasn't your traditional college student.
"Our mother was first-generational Lebanese," said her son, former Warner Robins Mayor Chuck Shaheen.
Chuck Shaheen said his mother struggled when she was younger.
"Our mother went through tough times when she was growing up, just like many of the people that were here," Chuck Shaheen said.
Barbara Shaheen got married and then owned a office supply business with her husband until 2010.
"Our mother wanted to get a higher education at 75 years old," said Chuck Shaheen.
When Barbara got an award from the Girl Scouts, she didn't have any school honors to talk about. That's when she decided to attend Georgia Military College.
In the state of Georgia, people over the age of 62 can take undergraduate courses free of charge at a public university, but Barbara didn't like that.
"My mother didn't feel it was right that she would come to school with her books and tuition paid for, so she was helping people that were untraditional," said Chuck Shaheen.
Barbara would give money to the school to help pay for the other students' tuition and fees. They had a scholarship in her name, but it wasn't officially a scholarship until her death in 2016.
Her son Chuck and her daughter Donna Shaheen Kiefer didn't know their mother was doing that.
With the help of executive director Ted Ramsdell the school decided to pay it forward and name a scholarship for Barbara Shaheen.
"We were very moved, very touched," Chuck Shaheen said.
This year's recipient, Alexis Skipper, took some time off after graduating from high school in 2018 and wanted to get her college degree. She said the scholarship will help relieve some financial burden.
"There was some issues with some financial troubles and getting out there on my own, so when I found the scholarship, I was like, 'Oh, I'm nontraditional, maybe I can get some help,'" Skipper said.
Before Barbara died, she was working on her business degree. She got her Associate in Science degree in March of 2010.
Skipper is also getting her business administration degree and believes that's her own personal connection with Barbara.
"I mean, there's really no words to even describe it," Skipper said.
The Shaheen family and GMC plan to expand the program by giving out two scholarship awards each year in the future.