An 87-year-old grandmother from Sri Lanka is the oldest person to earn a master’s degree from this Canadian university

(CNN) – A grandmother with seven grandchildren who emigrated from Sri Lanka is the oldest person to earn a master’s degree from York University in Canada, where she turned her passion for peace and learning into a political science degree.

Varatha Shanmuganathan is 87 years old, but her soul is as young and vibrant as ever. When she is not playing Scrabble or dancing and singing with her grandchildren, she is busy pursuing her many dreams.

“It was interesting. On November 1 I was a normal and ordinary lady who was doing her normal life. On November 2, when I graduated, everything changed,” Shanmuganathan told CNN.

That was the day she became the oldest graduate at this Ontario university, according to York University spokeswoman Gloria Suhasini. Shanmugunathan’s title focused on Sri Lanka’s civil war and efforts to achieve peace.

“It has always been my dream,” says Shanmuganathan

“This has always been my dream, to study politics and get a higher degree in it, and I am happy that I finally got it,” he said.

Born in Sri Lanka, in a small town called Velanai, Shanmuganathan found herself searching for answers and explanations about the 26 years of civil war in your country.

Sri Lank’s civil wara ended in May 2009 with the crushing by the government of the Tamil Tigers in its center of operations, in the north of the island nation in the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka’s long and bloody conflict devastated nearly two-thirds of the population of its northern provinces and from the east. About 70,000 people died.

“Always, in my heart and soul, I have cherished and nurtured peace, justice, equality and democracy,” Shanmuganathan said. “I wanted to tell the story of my country loud and clear to all generations: we must all yearn for peace.”

An academic career

This is not Shanmuganathan’s first master’s degree. After graduating from the University of Madras, India, he returned to Sri Lanka to teach Indian history and English.

In 1990 he moved to London to teach English as a second language and obtained his first Master’s degree in applied linguistics at the University of London.

Shanmuganathan immigrated to Canada in 2004 to be with his daughter, who had earned an MBA from York University’s Schulich School of Business.

When he learned that the university offered free tuition to seniors, Shanmuganathan said, he immediately knew that it was finally his chance to make his dream of studying political science come true. He began his studies in 2019 and continued during the coronavirus pandemic before graduate with 4,000 other students on November 2.

Varatha Shanmuganathan says that people should always have one goal in life: “Find out what dream you want to pursue and pursue it to the end.”

Shanmuganathan “represents the best of York University: access to education, a commitment to creating an inclusive environment for all and an unwavering determination to create a better future,” said University of York President Rhonda Lenton in a statement to CNN.

A “powerful model”

“She will undoubtedly inspire others to pursue higher education and act as a powerful role model for women of all ages.”

Despite having reached the goal of his entire life, Shanmuganathan said that it is not finished yet. Her next project is to write a book on post-war Sri Lanka and the prospects for peace, and she adds that she hopes her story will inspire others to look within themselves to discover their passions.

“You always have to have a goal in life,” Shanmuganathan said. “Find out what dream you want to pursue and pursue it to the end. Think of something that interests you, but is also beneficial to others. Go after it, get it, do it, achieve it.”