Image: Yonhap News
An 84-year-old grandma Kim Jung Wook has graduated from Nambu University, proving that dreams really do come true with hard work at any age.
On February 24, Kim attended her graduation ceremony and officially graduated with a bachelors degree in sociology. Although she is a middle school dropout, Kim is now ready for employment and appears to have an interest in working in social welfare. That's not to say Kim didn't have her struggles getting here.
Kim dropped out in middle school due to her family's financial situation. Her father was in the Korean Independent Movement against the Japanese Occupation, when Japan colonized Korea from 1910 until 1945, and allocated most of the family funds to support the cause. In the end, her father was unable to take care of the family and passed away at a young age.
Kim explained, "I had around eight brothers and we were so poor that we even had a shortage of food to eat; because I wanted to help my parents have at least one less mouth to feed, I married at 18 years old and came to Gwangju." Since living in Gwangju, she has raised seven children, four who live with her and three who live in America.
Meanwhile, Kim yearned for education. As her late husband Cho Yong Gi had a relationship with the founder of Nambu University, Kim was able to receive a special opportunity after all her struggles. Although Nambu had difficulty accepting Kim at first due to her lack of middle and high school education, they allowed her to attend as an auditor and part-time student in the Department of Social Welfare.
Kim is said to have been a determined student who never skipped or a missed a class despite the 50-minute commute from her home to school. Her hard work and dedication has led her to become a proud graduate of Nambu.
Kim concluded her time as a Nambu student and said to her class, "Thanks to the school's consideration and the professors' support, I have come to a point where I can always be grateful for the opportunity to study in university." She continued, "We are all similar in our desire to learn. I learned about things I didn't know and I feel like I've gotten younger. I don't know how much time I have left in my life, but I want to live as a person of service."
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