A 41-year-old law school graduate is not waiting for the perfect moment to celebrate herself, inspiring others to acknowledge their milestones no matter when they are achieved.   

Amber Goodwin will finally fulfill her 20-year-old dream of graduating with a degree from Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, ABC News reported. But it was her simple post to social media that resonated with other degree seekers like her. 

Earlier in May, Goodwin, who will graduate from law school on June 6, said in the post that she never married, but knew it was important to celebrate her victories.

“Sorry not sorry in advance for all the law graduation photos y’all are about to get. I’m 41, never been married, have no kids, and most days society refuses to celebrate people like me. It’s been a very rough year but this is a bright spot for many of us. It was all worth it,” she wrote.

Goodwin quickly received a wave of support. Perhaps it was the underlying message that so many women, some with similar stories and some with young daughters of their own, felt connected to. 

"I feel this so strongly. I just turned 46, never married/no kids and often feel invisible in my own life. Congrats on your amazing achievement!!," one person wrote.

"As a 40+ single never married woman, I've learned to flip the narrative about women like us. YOU are the apex of womanhood. Fully liberated w/choices and life that our female ancestors couldn't even fathom. You represent the fullest potential of womankind. Congratulations!!" another person said. 

Goodwin said she didn’t expect her tweet to resonate with so many women, adding that the response was overwhelming.

“I didn’t expect that anyone outside of my family and friends would actually like it or tweet it,” she said. 

The trajectory of Goodwin’s path, however, looks more similar to other women her age, KTIC Radio reported. According to the local radio station, the U.S. Census Bureau found that nearly 16% of Americans reached their late 40’s without ever having been married.  

After nearly two decades since graduating college, Goodwin said she was initially rejected from several law schools. In the meantime, she earned her master’s degree and created the Community Justice Action Fund (CJAF), a program dedicated to preventing gun violence in communities of color.

After building a career at Capitol Hill, Goodwin decided it was the right time for her to chase her forever dream at age 38.

"My mentality was: I'm going to keep applying places and they have to tell me no," Goodwin said in an interview on Good Morning America. "I'm not going to call the question on myself. If people tell me no, then that's on them, and I'll just keep trying."

Now three years later, the Texas native is finally seeing the reality set in.  

“A lot of times people, especially women and Black women, are not celebrated while we’re doing things. We’re celebrated maybe when we’ve made it and are winning big cases as an attorney or doing other things like getting married or having kids,” she said.

“And a lot of times things like [graduating law school] aren’t just seen as a win for someone who is 41 years old,” Goodwin added. “This gave me a sense that people were standing right next to me as I was getting really great news and times when I was maybe not feeling as sure of myself.”

In another post to Twitter Goodwin said she wants to continue fighting to overhaul the broken justice system. 

"Photo of descendant of a slave graduating from law school in 18 days outside of the building that both enslaved our ancestors and gave us our freedom. I’ll never stop fighting for the liberation of all people. This law degree is a new tool in the tool box against oppression," she wrote.

Goodwin's plan to fight for the oppressed doesn't stop with her degree. In a post, she said she started a scholarship to help formerly incarcerated individuals chase their own academic dreams.

"Lastly- I’m starting a scholarship at my law school for helping formerly incarcerated people pay for law school. Will post more about it but message me if you’re interested in supporting!" she continued in a thread. 

Of her now-viral message, Goodwin said she hopes women recognize that their lives still have great potential even if they haven’t accomplished everything within a certain timeframe, according to Good Morning America. 

“…[T]here’s no one way to live the life you have and life should be lived and celebrated literally every single day,” she said. “I think everyone’s life should be validated and celebrated.”  

Amber GoodwinCommunity Justice Action Fund