Status: 15.01.2024, 19:10 PM
By: Romina Kunze
CommentsPrint Share
Others her age take it easy. Minnie Payne is off to a flying start: at the age of 90, she receives her master's degree. Then comes her dream job.
Denton – Finding your place in the workforce is anything but easy in a world full of opportunities. Generation Z, in particular, seems to have a hard time with the idea of a regular working week. For all those who are still searching, Minnie Payne should be both a role model and a consolation: The American is certainly one of the older semesters. She recently completed her master's degree at the ripe old age of 90.
Late school: 73 years after graduating from high school
Among the thousands of University of North Texas (UNT) graduates, Payne may have stood out despite her petite appearance, considering that her classmates could well be her great-grandchildren. Usually, there are four to six years between graduating from high school and graduating from college in the United States. Minnie Payne lived 73 years.
Graduated from university at the age of 90: Minnie Payne still wants to learn a lot even in her old age. © University of North Texas
But neither Minnie Payne nor her career is ordinary. "It's a long story, of course," she says when asked by CBS News how the late school came about. While others are ringing in the comfortable retirement or making the long-awaited trip around the world – or other stupid things – Minnie Payne enrolls again in her late 60s to study.
"It's always been important to me to keep developing," she says. "When I retired at 68, I realized I wasn't doing anything constructive with my time," Payne said, picking up an almost forgotten thread in her life.
American is the oldest graduate: Between wife and mother, studies fell by the wayside
In her younger years, Minnie Payne had already dropped out of college, but had to drop out of a junior college (comparable to a German university of applied sciences) to earn money. The imminent wedding was quickly followed by offspring and grandchildren, and there was no time for studying.
My news
According to Eurojackpot statistics, these are the most common winning numbers.
Student revolt against statue of Greta Thunberg: University reaction is followed by sheer mockery
Five exchange students suddenly disappear – police are facing riddles
Fork trouble in Austria – guest feels "ripped off" by restaurant billread
In the case of a plane crash in Thailand - a miracle for German holidaymakers
Minus 55 degrees! Russian Winter Makes Faces Freeze Read
Her parents told her how important an academic education is. "My mother and father worked on the assembly line, we were poor," she recalls of her childhood. At the age of 73, she completed her bachelor's degree and last July she successfully completed her master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. Even if she had to cram through several nights for it. Accompanied by her grandson, she received her diploma at the graduation ceremony.
Minnie Payne was accompanied by her grandson at the graduation ceremony. © University of North Texas
Your recipe for so much staying power? Always look from day to day, as she herself explained on the university's homepage. She never felt uncomfortable among all the early twenties; also because the fellow students never made their age an issue. "They treated me as if I were one of them," she says, emphasizing the mutual respect.
Studying for senior citizens: Older semesters are not uncommon in Germany
Now that she's holding her master's degree in her hands after all these years, it feels "surreal," she tells CBS News. But resting on her laurels is out of the question for her. "As long as I'm fit enough, I want to work," says Minnie Payne, who recently took a job at a magazine in Houston. Her absolute dream job: "A lot of people write because they like it. I write because I love it. Because it's therapy for me and it gives me something meaningful to do."
Minnie Payne is now officially the oldest to graduate from the University of North Texas. Going back to university in old age, on the other hand, is anything but unusual in this country. According to a survey by the Information Platform Research & Teaching, around 2,8 of the 2018.19 million students in Germany in the winter semester 95/000 were older than 40 years, and 2500,65 were even older than <>.
Numerous universities in Germany have an increasing number of courses for older students. According to Die Zeit, academic courses especially for seniors can be found under names such as "Studieren ab 50" (University of Magdeburg), "Studium Plus" (PH Freiburg), "Seniorenakademie" (TU Dresden), "Campus der Generationen" (University of Trier). Many of them can also enroll as guest students. At the University of Freiburg, for example, the cost is 50 euros per semester. You don't need a high school diploma to study for senior citizens. (rku)