75 year old woman graduated from university with honors

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Luu (75 years old) received a pharmacy degree with honors from Nam Can Tho University on the morning of October 29.

She was an elementary school teacher from 1969 until 2003, when she retired. Her husband used to work in the medical field. “When he was 48 years old, my husband wanted to open a pharmacy to earn more income, because the economy was very difficult. However, unfortunately, he got sick and passed away, leaving his dream unfinished,” Ms. Luu recalled.

At that time, at the age of 40, she raised 3 children by herself. Thanks to her hard work and perseverance, they are now all successful and working in the medical field in Long An province.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Luu at the graduation ceremony at Nam Can Tho University. (Photo: HH)

Wanting to fulfill her late husband’s wish, at the age of 55 (after retirement), Ms. Luu enrolled in a pharmacy assistant course in Tien Giang, then studied intermediate pharmacy and then college. “After finishing school, I opened a pharmacy, as my husband wished,” she said.

This woman shared that because her whole life was devoted to teaching, continuing to study at retirement age helped her live in the atmosphere of school and students. In 2020, Ms. Luu decided to go to university.

She called all the schools to ask if there was a pharmacy class but only Can Tho University was preparing to open one.

“At that time, the school said that they had reviewed for students for 3 weeks, and there was only 1 week left to review before the exam. Hearing that, I immediately took a bus to Can Tho to submit my application, then went to review class. The teachers guided me to review, then I studied very carefully so I passed the 8th pharmacy class, the college-to-university transfer program,” Ms. Luu recalled.

Ms. Luu with a university degree with honors. (Photo: HH)

Can Tho University is nearly 130km from Mrs. Luu's house. Despite her old age and poor health, every week at exactly 3am on Saturday, she takes a bus to Can Tho bus station, then transfers to Can Tho University to study. At 5pm on Sunday, she takes a bus back to Long An.

“I went like that for 3 years of studying. Sometimes I felt tired because of the long distance, having to study a lot, and the large amount of homework… but I got used to it,” she said.

In high school, Ms. Luu learned French, then a second foreign language (English), so when she went to university, she did not encounter many obstacles. The students in her class and the lecturers at the school also supported her to pursue her studies.

“In class, I choose to sit at the front desk so that if I don’t understand something, I can ask the lecturer or my classmates to explain it to me. In class, the children often call me “mom” or “grandma”. Whenever they see me speak up and answer the lecturer’s questions correctly, they clap their hands in encouragement. They say that I am old but determined to go to school, so I use that as motivation. Hearing that makes me very happy,” said Ms. Luu.

Ms. Luu at the practical session. (Photo: Provided by the school)

The woman from Long An shared: “If my health allows, I will decide to study for a master’s degree. Young people should never stop learning no matter what because knowledge is endless. I have done it, you should be confident.”

Dr. Do Van Mai, Permanent Deputy Head of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Nam Can Tho University, commented that student Nguyen Thi Hong Luu is very diligent, sociable, and hard-working. She always seeks and learns from teachers and classmates with a tireless spirit.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Source: https://vtc.vn/nguoi-phu-nu-75-tuoi-tot-nghiep-dai-hoc-bang-gioi-ar830490.html