They say that it is never too late and this is the case of María Salinas Sánchez, an 86-year-old woman who finished her studies as a Commercial Expert in 1954, but could not obtain her degree because she had not performed the social service of the Women’s Section, which in At that time it was a national duty for women.
However, her situation has now changed thanks to one of her daughters and one of the institution’s teachers.
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“It all started thanks to one of his daughters and Professor Juan Patricio Castro, who managed to find the academic record to carry out the procedure with the Ministry and with which we were able to issue the degree.
“María Salinas had all the subjects passed and what she was missing is something that belongs to the past and that is not necessary for tenure… it is a fair rectification,” reported the rector Beatriz Miguel.
To reach the desired moment, it has taken nine months of procedures with the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to achieve homologation.
Thus, almost 70 years later, at 86 years old, María has finally been able to collect the title that accredits her as a Commercial Expert at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT). “overwhelmed” due to the media interest and the flood of photos and expressions of affection that the event has aroused.
What did the 86-year-old grandmother say after collecting her title?
Very excited, María told the EFE agency that after 5 years of studies at the old School of Commerce, she was unable to obtain her degree because she had not performed social service.
“It was another time. It was another life,” said María, who began compulsory classes in the Women’s Section, but after a few days she could not “resist the history that was there, that kind of indoctrination.”
“It was 1954 and I started working with my father, who was a commercial agent, because he had a lot of movement in the office, and shortly after I got married and I dedicated myself to the family,” story.
From those student years, María remembers that when she was going to finish the course at Carmelitas, the school where she studied, she was not very sure what to do, but the nuns insisted that she study and go to university.
“There wasn’t much to choose from, but I liked calculus, mathematics and accounting, so I went to Business School and I didn’t make a mistake,” woman detailed.
María fondly remembers that time at university, in which she had around twenty people, both men and women, as classmates.
It should be noted that María Salinas is the mother of 7 children, grandmother of 12 grandchildren and great-grandmother of three great-granddaughters.
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Finally, the rector has invited other people in these circumstances to request the university to process their university degree and has pointed out that María’s is an example of “the conditions that women have today, we did not always have them, access to the University and getting a job was not so easy.
With information from EFE