奇速英语

超励志！90岁曾祖母终获大学学士学位

Joyce is a 90-year-old mother of nine, grandmother of 17, and great-grandmother of 24. You’d think the old woman would be exhausted and ready to put her feet up in retirement, but you’d be wrong. Instead, Joyce just made history as one of the oldest graduates of a university.

Back in 1951, Joyce enrolled (报名注册) in the university hoping to get a degree in home economics. She almost made it to graduation, but three-and-a-half years in, she says she “met this good looking guy” in church and eventually the two decided to get married. Putting her degree on hold, Joyce had three babies in three years before her husband passed away a few years later.

She spent five years as a widow before remarrying and having six more children, including two sets of twins. She clearly had her hands full, yet she never stopped thinking about that unfinished college degree.

Joyce mentioned this feeling of unfinished business to her children. They bought her a computer and urged her to finish the degree. Finally, in 2019, she decided the time was right! She enrolled in the university again and took online courses towards a general studies bachelor’s degree. Every day she sat down and did some school work, even when it was hard and she felt like giving up. “A lot of times I would have quit. I almost did,” she admitted. “There were just too many people who knew about it. I didn’t want to let them down. I quit once and I said, ‘I don’t want to do it again.’” So Joyce soldiered on! Her hard work paid off when she finally graduated.

Joyce has some words of wisdom for anyone who’s considering challenging themselves like she did. “Keep going. Don’t give up,” she said. “You might feel like giving up, but just hang in there because the end will come and you will win.”

The new graduate praised the teachers and staff at the university for helping and encouraging her every step of the way. Between the professors and her family, she felt very supported throughout her academic journey.