Last week, 84-year-old Janet Fein received her bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Dallas. Fein has had a full life. She has raised five children and then had a career as a secretary until she retired at age 77. But even then, she was not ready to take it easy and rest. She said she decided to major in sociology because she felt it was very important.
Fein grew up in the Bronx area of New York City. She just wanted to get a job in high school. After graduating at the age of 16, she went to work as a secretary. After getting married, she spent 18 years staying home with her children. She held several jobs throughout her life, including 20 years as a secretary at a hospital. She also worked for 20 years on earning an associate degree. But Fein also wanted to earn a bachelor's degree "with all of my heart". Even with all of her life experiences, she still enjoyed reading, writing papers and learning new things.
Health experts say continuing with education later in life is one way to keep fit. Carmel Dyer, director of the UT Health Consortium on Aging at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, says keeping active and giving yourself something to look forward to "is just a really positive move".
Fein kept going to class even as her health conditions worsened. During her studies, it became necessary for her to use a walker to get around and she required oxygen. She also developed knee problems. Therefore, Fein took online classes to finish the last part of her degree requirements. Her college advisor Sheila Rollerson said Fein never showed signs of giving up even with all of her difficulties. "She just kept plugging along," Rollerson said.
