Ontario grandmother graduates university at 85

A recent fall convocation ceremony in Toronto had a very special graduate in attendance: an 85-year-old grandmother from Markham, Ont.

“It’s an absolutely ecstatic feeling,” said Hortense Valerie Anglin, who pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree at York University.

“I have enjoyed every moment of this journey. It has been so meaningful and joyful.”

Video from the ceremony shows an eager Anglin waiting to accept her diploma to a packed house at York before receiving a roaring round of applause and a standing ovation.

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The Jamaican-born Canadian had been inspired to return to school by her 79-year-old sister, Osra Lindo, who had received a degree at York alongside her granddaughter, Vanessa Joy Anglin, in June of 2018.

Hortense Valerie Anglin, right, and her sister Osra Lindo are seen at a convocation ceremony at York University in Toronto. (Supplied)

After sidelining her post-secondary education following high school more than 50 years earlier, Anglin was anxious to hit the books, but faced a number of obstacles along the way, according to a news release issued by the school on Tuesday.

“I couldn’t start right away, because my husband was ailing, and I had to devote my time fully to care for him,” Anglin said.

When Anglin’s husband of 52 years died in 2014, she said she focused on completing York’s Bridging Program for Women for 13 weeks.

“I commuted to the York University-TD Engagement Centre at Yorkgate Mall in Jane and Finch neighbourhood to attend,” Anglin recalled.

From there, like most students during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anglin was forced to switch from in-person classes to remote learning, but remained committed to her focus on religious studies.

“I loved learning about a variety of subjects, and the last subject I completed for graduating was ‘making sense of the changing world’ and I just fell in love with anthropology,” she said.

As for what’s next for Anglin? She’s already signed up for more courses at York this fall and, by the looks of it, she could be hitting the convocation stage again in the near future.

“Who knows, my next convocation would be for a master’s degree in the next couple of years.”