Published 11:18 IST, August 2nd 2020
World War II veteran Giuseppe Paterno becomes Italy’s oldest student at 96
A 96-year-old World War II veteran became Italy's oldest university graduate. Giuseppe Paterno completed his undergraduate degree in History and Philosophy.
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A 96-year-old World War II veteran became Italy's oldest university graduate. Giuseppe Paterno completed his undergraduate degree in History and Philosophy from the University of Palermo and rightly proved that it’s never too late to start something and accomplish one's dreams.
Paterno grew up reading books but was not able to attend university in his youth. The war veteran grew up in a poor family in Sicily and only received basic education as a child. However, after realising that it was 'now or never', Paterno graduated high school at the age of 31 and later enrolled for the undergraduate course in 2017 when he was already in his 90's, as per agency report.
Paterno joined the navy to serve in World War II before going to work in the railways. He later got married and has two children. As a student, he always preferred textbooks over Google and would type out his essays on a typewriter. The oldest graduate also admitted that he faced a little difficulty with a video that replaced the classroom due to Covid-19 and said that the pandemic did not put him off his goal, after all he has survived the World War.
As Paterno finally achieved his degree, his next future plan is to devote himself to writing. His goal is to revisit all the texts he didn't have a chance to read.
Netizens shower Paterno with congratulatory messages
Netizens couldn't keep calm seeing his achievement and started congratulating Paterno for completing his degree. Check out some of the tweets:
Congratulations Giuseppe ...
— blakandblack (@BlakandBlack) August 1, 2020
“Knowledge is like a suitcase that I carry with me, it is a treasure”
At 96, Giuseppe Paterno has had to overcome - childhood poverty, war, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Now he has sailed through an exam that makes him Italy’s oldest uni graduate pic.twitter.com/VtoaV92P1U
Giuseppe Paterno, 96, Italy's oldest student, wears a traditional wreath awarded to students when they graduate, as he attends his graduation day after completing his undergraduate degree in history and philosophy at the University of Palermo
— Pixiedust (@PixiedustJtT) July 31, 2020
Credit: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane pic.twitter.com/stYdHv1wPm
Love this!! ❤️
— Carol Debby (@DebbyJoy1228) July 31, 2020
This once again shows, that you are never too old to learn anything! Keep pursuing your dreams!! Where there is a will, there is a way!! 🌈
Congratulations #GiuseppePaterno 👨🎓👨🏻🦳🍾🥂 https://t.co/IJCFwBUzKW
11:18 IST, August 2nd 2020