Jean Warwick Nadeau graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the Appalachian State Teachers College in 1941. Nadeau turned 100 years old on April 25.

Born near Wagram and Laurinburg, North Carolina, Nadeau attended App State for her teaching degree and then earned an art degree from Upper Iowa University, according to her autobiography “Miss Jeanie’s Little Girl.”

Nadeau’s grandson, Michael Brown, wrote in an email that Nadeau said her favorite memory of App State was meeting her future husband in a geography class.

Brown also wrote that Nadeau said her advice to future graduates is to, “Be open to all possibilities that an education can provide, participate in and enjoy campus life, and have some fun along the way.”

Nadeau said her secret to living so long is, “Loving my family, working hard, eating right, and leading a clean and spiritual life.”

Nadeau currently lives in High Point with her daughter, Andréa.