88-Year-Old Man Fulfills Dream, Graduates College With His Granddaughter

Dec 30, 2021 by apost team

Pursuing higher education is an admirable goal for anyone, but especially for those who go to college later in life. Older students often have unique challenges to face on campus, especially if they are sight or hearing impaired or if their health is declining.

Melanie Salazar of San Antonio, Texas, received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in December 2021. What made the occasion even more special is that she was able to walk the graduation stage alongside her grandfather, Rene Neira, who was accepting a degree of recognition in economics.

After Salazar graduated high school in 2017, she attended community college and later enrolled at UTSA. Her grandfather did the same. Neira had always wanted to receive a college degree and had taken many classes over the years, but work and raising a family took a lot of his time. 

However, when it was time for Salazar to enroll, Neira was retired and decided the time was right for him to achieve one of his lifelong dreams. The grandfather and granddaughter would often carpool and study together at the library. 

Neira consistently took courses at the university until he suffered a stroke in 2020. Due to his declining health and difficulty navigating online courses, Neira did not think he would be able to graduate. The week of the ceremony, Salazar and her family asked the university if Neiro could receive a degree of recognition, and they accepted. 

At first, Neira said he didn’t want to take away from Salazar’s special moment, but she insisted that it would be more special to share it with him. Keep reading to learn more about this heartwarming and inspiring story.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Salazar shared some of her grandfather’s educational history. "Since the 1950s, he has been working toward his bachelor's degree and it has been one of his life goals and dreams," she said. "But in the '50s he fell in love and got married and started a family, so he wasn't able to continue school right away."

The grandfather and granddaughter never had any classes together but still saw each other often on campus. "We would get lunch together and be in the library together and just work silently side-by-side. There were also many times where I drove him to school during the seasons when he didn't have his car," Salazar said. She added that she would also help Neira with any of his work that required using a computer. 

Finding out if Neiro would be able to graduate came down to the wire. Salazar shared, "It was the week of graduation that we were told that he would be able to graduate. We were really pushing for it because we were hoping since his health is declining, that he could have that memory before he passes."

At first, Neira said he didn’t want to take attention away from Salazar’s accomplishments, but it was important to her that they experience this momentous occasion together. She recalled, "I told him, 'This is our moment. I want to share it with you.' I'm so proud of my grandpa and I'm so thankful I was able to have this moment, this memory, with him."

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