She’s smart as a whip!
A grandmother of seven who emigrated from Sri Lanka to Canada has become the oldest person to earn a master’s degree at York University — where she turned her passion for peace and learning into a political science degree.
At the age of 87, Varatha Shanmuganathan received the prestigious degree cert and became the oldest person to do so in the university’s history, reported CNN.
To our surprise, this ain’t her first master’s degree. She returned to Sri Lanka to teach Indian History and English after obtaining her bachelor’s degree from the University of Madras in India. Later on, in 1990 she travelled to London to teach English as a second language, where she earned her first master’s degree in applied linguistics from the University of London.
She moved to Canada in 2004 to be with her daughter and started pursuing her education in 2019 and graduated in November, along with 4,000 other students on November 2nd.
And the good news on the other side is, she will be working on her next project which includes writing a book about post-war Sri Lanka and its prospects for peace.
The determined senior quoted that;
“I wanted to tell the story of my country loud and clear to every generation — we should all yearn for peace. I always, in my heart and soul, have cherished and nourished peace, justice, equality and democracy.”
According to the octogenarian, York University provides free education for senior citizens and it has eventually inspired her to pursue her lifelong goal of receiving a master’s degree in politics. She has always been interested in knowing more about the history of her nation, especially the civil war which killed over 100,000 people.
Watch the full video below:
“You should always have a goal in life. Determine the dream you want to pursue and see it through. Consider something that is both interesting to you and useful to others. Continue pursuing it, obtaining it, completing it, and achieving it.” – Varatha Shanmuganathan
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