A Mexican woman who was forced to abandon her education as a girl because her family was too poor has graduated from middle school.
Esther Lozano, 78, celebrated her achievement with a mock graduation ceremony in a garage on Tuesday, surrounded by her proud family.
She’d made the decision to go back to school after her husband passed away following a lengthy illness.
An elderly Mexican woman has graduated middle school after having to abandon her studies as a young girl
The achievement of Esther Lozano, 78, was celebrated by her family in a mock graduation ceremony
Her granddaughter Ashley Macias told DailyMail.com her grandmother, who grew up in a small town in Jalisco, Mexico, has faced numerous obstacles in her life, and always overcome them.
‘After marrying my grandfather [at 16], she was disowned by her own family for marrying into an incredibly poor family,’ she said.
‘She didn’t care though, the love she had and has for my grandfather – even after death – was worth more to her than money or luxury.’
Esther and her husband lived in a small shack, where she stayed home to care for her husband’s elderly mother and sick brother, while her husband went to work.
At the time, Esther had only attended elementary school, while her husband had no education, Ashley said. Esther taught the man how to do basic maths, and wrote down the multiplication table on a shoe box for him to learn.
‘She always wanted to go back to school, but she had eight children to take care of and after they were all married and moved out my grandfather became ill,’ Ashley said.
‘His kidneys were malfunctioning and he had to have dialysis three times a day, so she didn’t have a chance to go back to school until my grandfather passed away.’
Ashley said the family matriarch was an inspiration to them all, and that Esther was not finished with her education.
‘She is determined to keep going until she has finished high school.’
Her granddaughter Ashley (pictured) shared the heartwarming pictures and a video of a touching speech
Ms Lozano’s decision to return to school came after her husband, who she married at 16, passed away