Shigemi Hirata, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kyoto University of Art and Design in March, was awarded the Guinness World Records certificate on Friday.
“I am genuinely happy. Learning is always fun at any age,” said Hirata, who took 11 years to complete his ceramic arts course.
In 2005, when he was 85, Hirata of Hiroshima Prefecture enrolled in the university’s correspondence study program to hone his skills in pottery, which he took up when he became a pensioner.
He occasionally went to the university’s campus in Kyoto to attend classes although most of his studies were done at home.
Hirata, who has two children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, said his “longevity is something like destiny.”
“My next goal is to live until 100,” he said. “If I’m still in good shape at the time, I will consider going to graduate school.”
But Hirata, born on a Hiroshima farm in 1919, is not the only nonagenarian to graduate from college this year.
A 96-year-old American war veteran has set a record as the oldest University of Southern California graduate after receiving a degree in zoology in May.
Alfonso Gonzales, who served in both the U.S. Navy and the Marines, started his studies at the USC in 1947 but had to stop when his business took off. But years later, his family encouraged him to finish what he has started.
“It took me 65 years to complete my studies but I did,” Gonzales said. “Oh, it’s a great feeling.”
In June last year, 99-year-old Doreetha Daniels received a diploma for associate of the arts degree from the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California and fulfilled her goal of finishing college before turning 100.
“So I said well, I’m not doing anything, I’m tired of my hobbies, so I’m going to go to school,” Daniels said. “I accomplished what I wanted to do… this is my dream come true.”
