Grandmoms wear ‘gwajam’ as freshmen at university

At Sookmyung Women’s University’s Future Education Center, a group of new students, including 87-year-old grandmothers, began their academic journey, fulfilling long-held aspirations for learning.

During the entrance ceremony held at 2:00 p.m. on Monday at the Hansang-eun Lounge in the Sookmyung Women’s University Centennial Memorial Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, University President Moon Si-yeon welcomed the new students. She presented school badges, gwajam (department jumpers), student IDs, and bouquets of flowers to grandmothers Kim Gap-nyeo (87) and Mo Bu-deok (87), the oldest among this year’s 48 new students. The incoming class includes 26 students in the Department of Social Welfare and 22 in the Department of Child Studies.

Grandmother Kim, born in 1938, graduated from Seoul Ilseong Girls’ Middle and High School, a lifelong education institution. After losing her husband at a young age, she raised five younger sisters on her own. At 80, she started studying Korean to fulfill her desire for education. Upon entering the university, she shared, “I have now relieved my regrets about learning. Everyone, come to Sookmyung Women’s University!” Grandmother Mo, who studied in the same class as Kim, also enrolled with a strong passion for learning. She encouraged fellow students, saying, “If you persist, you can achieve anything.” Both grandmothers are now students in the Department of Social Welfare.

The freshmen at the Future Education Center range in age from 55 to 87. The center offers a two-year program in social welfare leading to a bachelor’s degree and a three-year, six-month (seven-semester) program in child studies. Grandmother Lim Tae-soo (84), the oldest applicant for the 2025 College Scholastic Ability Test, also attended the ceremony.

“Their determination proves that there is no age limit to learning, and their challenges are inspiring many people," said Yoo Jong-sook, dean of Sookmyung's Future Education Center.


최효정 기자 hyoehyoe22@donga.com