'I'm in college at 43' - Louth mature student was told to chase her dream by her kids

Shakirat Olawale, a 43-year-old student at Dundalk Institute of Technology, is fulfilling her dreams of getting a degree with the help and support from her loving family.

The mother of four is studying Pharmaceutical Science and is nearly double the age of most people in her class.

The woman said that going to college was always something she wanted to do for years but with working and having children, it wasn't something she wasn't able to do before.

She said that she always told herself, 'when I have time, I'll go back to school....I need to go back'.

Shakirat, originally from Nigeria but living in Monaghan, said that because of her family's support, her dreams are now reality.

"My family said to me like, oh, mom, it's your dream, you know, that I go back to college and achieve my goals. So that is why I went back to college....my family have supported me so much."

Shakirat is also working part-time on top of college which is very challenging to juggle with four children, aged from 14 to 23 years old, but she said that she makes it work.

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"Sometimes I need to bring my son to a basketball game or things like that, but my husband helps me a lot as well, we communicate together for time management for the family, so that I am able to survive."

She also said that at the moment the people in her college classes are between 23 and 29 so there is a big gap between her and everyone else.

"It's really challenging sometimes because we don't have a lot of things in common, you know, to talk about. So mostly I'll be on my own, unless we have a group work or lab group thing to do, we communicate. But afterwards, I've been like on my own."

Shakirat plans to get a job in her line of studies after she gets her degree and then plans to do a Masters in the future. She currently works as a care assistant in a community home in Drogheda one or two days during the week.

Her advice to other people her age is who wish to go to college is: "I always tell people, it's never too late and age is not a barrier.

"So one thing they have to know that if they really want to, like if it's their dream, they need to remember that whatever you're doing, there's always going to be challenges, so don't let it set you back.

"You need to be focused and you need to be motivated. If I can do it, so can you, everybody can do the same."

Shakirat hopes to be celebrating soon with her family after her graduation having successfully achieved a degree at 43 years old.