50-year-old mother is encouraged to return to school, joins her daughter's class and both graduate together at RS: 'It's never too late'

Mother is encouraged to return to studies, joins her daughter's class and both graduate together It was at a university in Novo Hamburgo, in the Metropolitan Region of Porto Alegre, that a mother gained a new classmate: her own daughter. At the age of 50, Sandra Gewehr Scholles decided to resume a project that had been interrupted decades before and spent her entire degree in Psychology alongside Daniela Gewehr Scholles, 25 years old. The walk of the relatives and students from Estância Velha ended the same way it began: with them together. The two received their diplomas at the same ceremony, on July 25th. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp Over the course of seven years, the two shared the routine of graduating in Psychology, went through the pandemic, exchanged encouragement in the most difficult moments and arrived together at one of the most anticipated days of academic life: graduation. A dream revived Daniela Gewehr Scholles and Sandra Gewehr Scholles Image courtesy The incentive for Sandra to return to university came from within the house. When Daniela passed the Psychology entrance exam in 2019, she rekindled a dream that her mother had left behind almost 30 years ago. Sandra started a degree in Pedagogy when she was around 18 years old, but interrupted her studies after realizing that the course did not meet her expectations for her career. As the years passed, came marriage, children and the responsibilities of adulthood. It was upon seeing her daughter enter higher education that she began to consider the possibility of returning to the classroom. The idea gained strength after a conversation between the two. "I took the entrance exam and I knew it was something my mother had wanted for a long time. I mentioned it and, although at first she thought it wouldn't work, she ended up accepting it", recalls Daniela. Sandra managed to return through re-entry, taking advantage of subjects previously studied. Family support, including financial support, was essential for the decision to get off the ground. Daniela says she admires her mother's courage in starting a new challenge at the age of 50: "It's never too late to make dreams come true", she comments. "What I admire most is the courage to live through all of this now, despite all the challenges." Managing time The routine was not simple. In addition to classes, Sandra had to balance work, internship, family and household commitments. According to her, managing time was the biggest challenge throughout her degree. There were times when the overload almost made her give up. "About halfway through college, I took five courses and it was very difficult to balance work and exams, it was a lot. There were times when I thought: 'Oh my God, I'm not going to be able to do it'", recalls Sandra. "Sometimes I started crying and thought: 'What was I doing going back to school?'". At these times, Sandra found support precisely from the people closest to her. Her husband, her children and, especially, Daniela helped keep her motivated until the end of the course. As the semesters passed, the goal became to advance stage by stage, in a kind of countdown until graduation. Differences that complemented each other Mother and daughter built a different relationship within the university. Daily coexistence brought the two even closer together. At times, the roles of mother and classmate were mixed. In others, they needed to act only as course partners, especially during work presentations and academic activities. "We became closer and, sometimes, the roles of mother and colleague became confused, but we learned to deal with it", says Daniela. The constant presence of each other also brought advantages. According to the young woman, there was always company for coffee, chimarrão or to face the typical difficulties of graduation. However, the two studied in different ways. While Sandra preferred to print articles, make notes and highlight important sections of the content, Daniela mainly used her cell phone, digital reading and her own summaries. The difference also appeared in the way of dealing with deadlines: "I was very concerned about the issue of deadlines for work to be delivered, and this generation her age, they leave everything to the last minute, to the last minute", comments Sandra. Diploma side by side Daniela Gewehr Scholles and Sandra Gewehr Scholles Image courtesy The journey that began in 2019 also went through an unexpected period: the Covid-19 pandemic. During part of the graduation, classes began to take place remotely in 2020, requiring adaptation from students and teachers. Even so, mother and daughter remained strong until the last semester. The reward came in July, during the graduation ceremony. The two were called in sequence to receive their Psychology diploma. Sandra says that she still revisits that moment in her mind today. “It was a dream come true,” he summarizes. For Daniela, the most memorable memory happened precisely during the ceremony. "I believe it was when we hugged and it really hit home that we had achieved it", comments the daughter. VIDEOS: Everything about RS