Ms Donovan completed master’s degree at the age of 89

A woman in the United States completed her master's degree at the age of 89. She happily posed with the graduation robe and hat at Southern New Hampshire University. According to the university Ms Joan Donovan completed Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing.

Ms Donovan explained how a table with a bouquet and a bag of goodies was decorated with balloons and cupcakes to honour her in the graduation celebration. In her words, "I am just thrilled. I am honoured. I'm overwhelmed, and your kindness means a lot". Ms Donovan narrated about the beginning of her studies in first grade when she was four and a half years old along with her graduation from high school at the age of 16.

She mentioned in the press release that, "When I graduated from high school, I was told there was no money in the family to send me to college." Her mother called her “brilliant” and never opted for an end in her school time. Therefore she got herself enrolled in post-graduate courses of a high school. However she couldn’t continue her studies after she got married and had a family.

After her six children grew up, Ms Donovan decided to reinitiate studies. She completed her undergraduate studies at a community college after which she joined Southern New Hampshire University to pursue the creative writing course. Ms Donovan is the oldest of SNHU's 17,700, 2022 graduates. Her college experience took a little longer than average; she finished it and maintained a 3.8 GPA. "So I say, 'try things.' If you fail, try it again ... but just keep trying," Ms Donovan said.

Dr Will Napier, Ms Donovan's capstone instructor, said, "Throughout the ordeal, Joan continued to produce text that demonstrated intellect, creativity, and, above all else, humor. With all that was going on during the term, there was always time and space for levity, and Joan was quick to share the good within the world to remind us all why we choose to be creative and why we choose to share a story with others."