A nonagenarian has just graduated after 71 years of her first enrolment into the Northern Illinois University, United States.
90-year-old Joyce DeFauw was said to have gained admission into the Northern Illinois State Teachers College, now Northern Illinois University (NIU), in 1951 after she graduated from High School.
Reports say she won a scholarship to study at the college then, but she couldn’t proceed. DeFauw reportedly dropped out of school and got married to her first husband.
She had broken a jinx by becoming the first member of her family to attend college but dropped and had three kids for her man.
Five years after the death of her husband, she reportedly remarried, and had six more kids, including two sets of twins.
The grandmother of 17 and great-grandmother of 24 said it was her family who encouraged her to return to school and complete her studies.
In 2019, she re-enrolled at NIU to finish what she started decades ago. “Don’t give up. Even if you do quit, go back. Just hang in there. Keep learning. Keep giving thanks. It’s there for you. Just go for it,” she said.
DeFauw has now received her Bachelor’s degree in General Studies.
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