90-year-old woman graduates from US university after dropping out in 1951

After a gap of seven decades, a 90-year-old woman in the US has finally received her Bachelor of General Studies degree from Northern Illinois University (NIU).

Joyce DeFauw, then Joyce Viola Kane, began her studies in 1951, intending to major in home economics.

As per the university's press release, Joyce said she went to college for three and a half years. Shelater met a man in church and got married.

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She married Don Freeman Sr. in 1955 and had three children. Her husband later died. She later remarried Roy DeFauq and had six children together.

As per a tweet by the NIU, in 2019, DeFauw returend to the university with her original black and white student ID after her family motivated her to complete her degree through online classes.

She added, "People see things in you that you don't see in yourself. I feel these people had faith in me, and I can only give thanks."

One of her granddaughters who is also an alumnus of NIU told CNN that when she thought of completing her education, the family reacted "why not", instead of "why."

In the end, she said, "I've learned that I can do things I never thought I could do, with the help of others. You can never quit learning."

Currently, Joyceis a mother of nine,grandmother to 19 and great-grandmother to 24.

(With inputs from agencies)

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