Never Too Late for Education, 92 Year-old Graduate

“The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies,
can continue growing as long as we live.”
Mortimer Adler , American Philosopher, Educator (1902-2001)

This past week I heard about a 92-year-old woman who received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from California State University at Sacramento. According to school officials she may be the oldest graduate in the school’s history.

Weekly, for the last two years, Estelle Rees Arroyo would drive the 120 mile round trip from her home in Grass Valley to a Sacramento motel where she would stay will attending classes.

When asked why she had decided to attend college Estelle said, “I was watching too much TV. I decided if I kept it up my mind was going to go to mush.”

Her age often served as an advantage, according to Estelle, and earned her politeness from other students who thought she was an instructor, but she suspects her professors weren’t always thrilled to have her in their class. She said, “I think I spoke up too much in class because the teacher would get on something I had lived through.”

As Estelle reminds us, “It is never too late.”

She’s delightful. See a video interview of her here.

~Linda