A Brazilian is being inspired around the world and her life trajectory can guarantee a Guinness World Records record. At the age of 94, Maria Edelzuita de Souza is looking to fulfill her dream of learning to read and write.
The student is enrolled at the João Barracão Youth and Adult Education Center in Petrolina (Pernambuco). Since 2022, Dona Edelzuita has maintained exemplary school attendance and is loved by everyone at the Pernambuco Education Department.
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For her dedication and example of life, the Secretary of Education of Pernambuco wishes that Dona Edelzuita be recognized as the oldest student in the world in the Guinness World Records. Currently, the record belongs to Kenyan Kimani Maruge Ng'ang'a, who is 10 years younger than the Brazilian student.
However, at the age of 94, the dream of Brazilian Maria Edelzuita de Souza is not limited to completing basic education, she aims for something much bigger: “I will write the book of my history”.
(Image: Josimar Oliveira/Secretary of Education and Sports of Pernambuco/Reproduction)
The 94-year-old student wants to tell her life story
During her life, Dona Edelzuita was never able to attend school, as her father did not allow it. Thus, she learned the basics of ABC from her mother and later decided to put her studies aside to prioritize her children's education.
Last year, on the first day of school, Dona Edelzuita arrived at the school door accompanied by one of her children.
“It is a pleasure to bring my mother. When we arrived at school, I remembered when she took her nine children. Always on the first day, she accompanied us to cross the road. We drank coffee, tapioca with coffee, or scalded with flour, at the time. Everyone went to school. She was very strict”, said her son Tadeu Souza to the G1 news portal.
After the death of her husband in February 2022, Dona Edelzuita decided to pursue what she had always dreamed of. Thus, she leaves the following advice on the power of education:
“Study, because it is in studying that you learn everything. At school, you learn what is good. I would like to be a girl again, to start now and just finish college.”
Definitively, the Guinness World Records title would be another achievement for the extraordinary life trajectory of the Brazilian Maria Edelzuita de Souza. His determination and willingness to learn are the greatest proof of the importance of education in people's lives.