A special graduation between a granddaughter and her grandfather
He is 88 and terminally ill...
If anything, we have learnt not to take anything for granted over the past two years. But more than that, the pandemic has pushed us, even forced some of us to catapult ourselves into our own greatness.
So when we heard about this grandfather, who recently graduated at the age of 88, it reminded us to be more thankful for all that we have.
Rene Neira and his granddaughter, Melanie Salazar, enrolled into university in the same year - 2016. He started school in the 1950s but decided that love took precedence over school; he fell in love and prioritised working for his family.
He took some classes over the years but officially decided to complete his degree in 2016. We cannot imagine what it must've been like being enrolled in a university with your grandfather, but it sure seemed like these two embraced their college experience together.
"They never shared a class together because of their differing majors, but would sometimes would share lunch together, meet up at the library to work on homework, and even carpool to campus." (Instagram)
After suffering from a stroke before COVID-19, he was forced to take medical leave from college. The campus was shut down and online classes was the new route, which proved challenging for him. However, his family pulled together to help him get his college degree.
They both graduated in December 2021, but Neira is sadly terminally ill and in hospice. We admire his dedication and the support that his family have given him. It is just a real reminder that we should always aspire to achieve our goals.
As much as he is ill, we are sure that he harnesses a sense of true accomplishment and honour, knowing that he followed through with his degree and knocked it out of the park.
Image Courtesy of Instagram