Featured Image Credit: Northern Illinois University
Topics: Education
Emma Guinness
When it comes to life milestones, we are all working on our own timelines - regardless of what society says.
One great-grandmother, 90, has now proven this spectacularly by graduating 71 years after she first started college.
Joyce DeFauw began her academic career way back in 1951 when she first became a student at Northern Illinois University.
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However, what she likely never imagined at the time was that it would take her until 2022 to graduate with a degree in General Studies - despite her original major being Home Economics.
The great-grandmother explained that she originally dropped out to marry her first husband, Don Freeman Sr., with whom she shares three children.
"I went to school for three and a half years, but decided to leave after I met him," she said, as reported by CNN.
Sadly, he passed away, and she proceeded to remarry, the late Roy DeFauw, who she had another six children with.
For her, a large family proved to be instrumental in her finally graduating as they encouraged her to go back to university in 2019.
"People see things in you that you don't see in yourself," she said. "I feel these people had faith in me, and I can only give thanks."
"I guess I mentioned I was upset that I didn't finish school and my children encouraged me to go back."
Hilariously, Joyce decided to decorate her graduation cap with the words 'Super Senior'.
Joyce explained that with her family's encouragement, she was able to put to right her disappointment that she never finished college by starting classes again from her retirement home.
She did so using a computer and explained that it was her first time using one, but that clearly did not stop her from achieving her dream.
"It was my first computer," she admitted. "My children had to teach me how to use it."
While a lot of people lose their student cards over time, Joyce's original was shared by the university, and it just goes to show that if you're meant to do something, you will - no matter how much time has passed.
The great-grandmother - who has 17 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren - as you can imagine, had some poignant advice for anyone considering following in her footsteps.
"It's nice to finish something you started," she said.
"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."