It’s Never Too Late
An 87-year-old GTA grandmother proved to everyone that it’s never too late to go back to school and get a degree. Varatha Shanmuganathan graduated from York University this week with a master’s degree in political science. It was actually her second master’s degree, as the Sri Lanka native got her first from the University of London when she was in her 50s.
She got her bachelor’s degree at the University of Madras in India. After she returned to Sri Lanka, she became a teacher of Indian history and English. Later, she earned a diploma in education.
For the first three months after beginning her latest master’s program in 2019, it was stressful for Shanmuganathan, but she decided to continue and adjusted. As part of that, the pandemic meant she had to defend her master’s thesis through Zoom.
She said, “I have something in me — a shock absorber. Self-confidence. That helped me.” Younger students helped her along the way and she said mingling with them made her feel rejuvenated.
