Woman finishes high school at 73, eyes college

MANILA, Philippines - Who says life begins at 40? For Matilde Recalde, life started at 73, when she finally graduated from high school. “Nanay Matilde," as she is fondly called, failed to finish high school because life was hard after World War II. "Mahirap lang sa amin, halos walang libro. Parang uncivilized people palang noon after the Japanese war [It was hard for us, the books were scarce. We were like uncivilized people after the Japanese War]," she said. But she got what she wanted last Friday. Nanay Matilde proved that even if it takes decades, some dreams do come true. After five years of studying, she graduated from De La Salle University’s Adult Night School Program. Recalde is the program’s oldest graduate. The former record holder is Nick Aranas Sr., who finished the program at 72. Recalde graduated with flying colors. She received three awards that included the Alfonso Yuchengco (AY) Foundation Award for National Discipline. So what is Nanay Matilde’s next dream? She says she plans to enroll in college and take up a course in music at the University of Sto. Tomas. The AY foundation will initially shoulder her tuition, according to GMA News. - GMANews.TV