‘Never quit learning’: 90-year-old great-grandmother, who first started college in 1951, graduates from Northern Illinois University
DEKALB, Ill. -- Few people finish their college education in a retirement facility. But that’s what it took for 90-year-old Joyce Defauw to complete her bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Northern Illinois University, a milestone nearly seven decades in the making.
Defauw, a great-grandmother from Geneseo, Illinois, became one of NIU’s oldest graduates in a ceremony Sunday. With the phrase “Super Senior ‘22″ written atop her graduation cap, Defauw smiled at a cheering crowd as she got up from her wheelchair to walk across the stage, finally reaching a lifelong goal.
“We can never quit learning,” Defauw said. “If we have the opportunity, and we are given the ability, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t go for it.”
The university also highlighted Defauw, along with several other graduates, in a special video during the ceremony. In the video, she shared her story and her gratitude for the people who helped along the way. Defauw was the first to walk out of hundreds of
