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On Sunday, the 90-year-old received a bachelor’s of general studies from Northern Illinois University more than seven decades after she first stepped on campus, becoming what officials believe to be the eldest person to ever graduate from the school.
According to WREX, DeFauw initially enrolled at her alma mater in 1951, when Americans were first introduced to the inventions of super glue, videotape recorders and credit cards. The school was known as Northern Illinois State Teachers College at the time. Her name was Joyce Kane, and originally she pursued a teaching degree but switched her major to home economics.
Using a computer given to her as a gift, DeFauw took her classes online, including through shutdowns associated with the early days of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. It was the first computer she ever owned, WREX reported, citing her family.