Saudi woman starts university studies aged 69
After 45 years, Salwa Al Omani takes up the study of sociology
Dubai: A 69-year-old Saudi woman joined the Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam last year, 45 years after finishing her secondary school, local media reported.
Salwa Al Omani, who is studying sociology at the Faculty of Arts, earned a GPA of 4.75 last year, the highest among her colleagues in the college.
Al Omani said she is proud of herself as she has always dreamed of pursuing her education but her life engagements as a wife and a mother had prevented her, but now she is back to school to realise her ambitions.
“My daughters finished their university studies, and my granddaughters are in high school now, and it is time for me to chase my dreams,” she said
The grandmother said she wants to continue higher education after obtaining her bachelor’s degree. “After obtaining my bachelor’s degree, I want to pursue my education to earn a master’s degree and PhD," Al Omani said, adding: “Age cannot stand in my way and prevent me from realising my dream.”
The Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University is one of the oldest universities in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.