The life of country singer Gretchen Wilson is one of rags to riches. Born to a sixteen year old mother, the Redneck Woman singer grew up in poverty in rural Illinois. Her father left before she was two and she and her waitress mother made their homes in various trailer parks around the state. At the age of fifteen, she dropped out of high school to work as a bartender and eventually found her way to Nashville, Tennessee.

There, she met and married Mike Penner and in the 2000, the couple had a daughter, Grace. A talented singer, Wilson worked as a backup vocalist before finding fame with the release of her album Here for the Party in 2003. That album sold 5 million copies and a career that began with a young Gretchen belting out tunes in front of Kmart transformed into a Grammy-winning success story. But for all her achievements, there was something missing in her life: a high school diploma.

Determined to set a good example for her daughter, now seven, Wilson sat for and passed the General Educational Development exam last month. On May 15th, she will be up on stage, not to sing, but to accept her long-overdue high school diploma.

Obviously, not having that piece of paper didn't hold her back in her chosen career, but she says she wanted to make sure her daughter knew the importance of finishing school. "I certainly don't want her to think you can be this successful without an education," she tells The Tennessean.

I know a thing or two about interrupted high school educations and commend Wilson for going all the way and getting that diploma. She clearly didn't have to do it, but what an important lesson she has taught her daughter. Congratulations, Gretchen!