Sri Lankan immigrant, Vartha Shanmuganathan, has become the oldest person to earn a master’s degree at Canada’s York University at 87 years old. She got her master’s degree in political science on November 2, 2021, and said “I was just an ordinary lady going about my ordinary life. On the second of November, when I graduated, everything changed, according to CNN.com.”That’s the day she became the oldest master’s graduate at the university in Ontario, according to York University spokesperson Gloria Suhasini,”according to CNN.com

Born in Sri Lanka, in a small village called Velanai, Shanmuganathan found herself searching for answers and explanations regarding her country’s 26-year civil war. Vaartha Shanmuganathan said” I always, in my heart and soul,  cherished and nourished a peace, justice, equality, and democracy, “I wanted to tell the story of my country loud and clear to every generation we should all yearn for peace.” CNN.com. This is not Shanmuganathan’s first master’s degree. After earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of Madras in India, she found out the university offered free tuition to senior citizens. Shanmuganathan said, “she immediately knew it was finally her chance to make her dream of studying political science come true. She began her studies in 2019 and continued throughout the coronavirus pandemic before graduating with 4,000 other students on November 2.”, according to CNN.com

“Just over about 0.3 percent of university students are over 65. Only about 13 percent of people over 25 yrs old get their masters,” says the New York Posts. Vaartha is 87 and managed to go back and be part of the 13 percent to go get her master’s and to follow her dreams of getting her degree.