By: Tea Despot

We jumped at the chance to interview Mrs. Pelekanou, who at the age of 72 acquired her Bachelor Degree in Law in 2013. We suspected that she must be a determined, intelligent and brave person. When we met her, she confirmed all of these characteristics and revealed many more! We hope her determination inspires you in the same way that she has inspired many more…

When did you graduate?

I graduated in 2013 with a BA in Law which I started in 2008. Most of my classes were in Greek but I did do a few of them in English because when I just joined the University the programme was only offered in English but later on the University introduced classes in Greek and I found that it was easier for me, naturally, as Greek is my mother tongue.

What made you decide to come back to university?

To be honest we used to travel rather often with my husband due to his career and this left very little time for me to even look into universities in Cyprus and in England I needed to pass GCSE examinations in order to enroll at a university, which absolutely discouraged me.  However, one day, I happened to see an advertisement for University of Nicosia in the newspaper and that was it; I was at your door.

It was summer, I remember, and I walked up to Mr. Peristianis, introduced myself and told him that I was interested in applying to study law. Of course, he suggested that I study something else because of my age but little did he know of my determination. I never misunderstood this – I was open to suggestions and opinions but I was psychologically ready to study law – nothing else. Throughout the years, I always had a book on my bedside table – I always loved reading. I was probably Galaxy Bookshops’ favorite customer! My daughter and my granddaughter both studied law as well so it runs in the family.  It was so confusing at first; I only chose one class because I was so scared. However, eventually, I got into the normal routine of every other student.

How did your family react to you returning to school?

At first, my daughter thought that I was joking. Eventually, she realized that it was not a joke. She was a little indifferent to it, to be honest, because one mother loves to see the achievement of her children but the children don’t usually feel the same towards their parents.  My family accepted my chosen path and was there to support me at my graduation and at the awards ceremony as well. I remember this one time when my daughter’s father-in-law asked me sarcastically “Where will you open your law firm now that you will graduate?” and I replied with equal sarcasm “At the cemetery of Constantinos and Eleni”.

Did your husband want you to continue studying?

In 1990, when I was 50 years old, I mentioned to my husband, Demetris that I would like to enroll at a university but he did not support the idea because he did not see the need for me to pursue an academic degree. Similarly, when I wanted to enroll at the School of Tourist Guides, he kept saying that it was too late to return to university and that there was no need for me to do so. In 1978, I entered a school for guides, received their diploma and was employed as a freelancer and assigned to various jobs by the Cyprus Tourism Organization (CTO). Eventually, he came around and was very happy when I got accepted into the school. He would still complain a little when he would see me studying but that was only natural.

Why did you choose law?

My husband and I both decided to study law in England at Gray’s Inn where we would become barristers upon graduation. However, our financial status at the time could not allow for both of us to complete our studies and we knew that at least one of us had to finish –so I stepped down and allowed my husband to do so. He became a barrister and later worked as a consultant at the UN. It’s actually funny, I remember when they used to send us the law reports that we subscribed to I would read them more than him!

Was it easy?

No it wasn’t, not at all. In fact I got 60 percent on my first midterm and was very disappointed but the lecturer explained that the material was good but not good enough to obtain a better grade.  I accepted this, studied harder and, eventually managed to get better grades. However, it really was not easy being a law student, as well as a mother and a grandmother. People thought that I was going through a weird phase at this point because of my husband’s death in 2001, even my daughter doubted it. I stopped doing things that a mother should do, like bake cookies for Christmas and other housewife duties which my children missed.  My fellow students kept asking why I was not at home sitting next to the fireplace; watching TV and doing things people my age do which only made it harder for me.

Did you encounter any discrimination during your studies?

Not really, actually I think it actually influenced the students. They would tell me how they had told their mothers and grandmothers about me and how I should be an example to them. Simultaneously, I was very amused and impressed with the fact that everyone was absolutely indifferent to my age! My first lecturer, Mr. Peter Paphitis, didn’t look twice when I first walked into class. Honestly, my fellow students treated me just like they would have treated anybody else. They would tell me the usual stories over coffee; except this one time, when I overheard that one of the students, who had started at the same time as me, would have to drop out of university because of financial issues. I felt very sad and decided that I needed to help this student so I invited him to lunch to tell him a story about how my husband and I struggled to get somewhere. We were also very poor and I had to work to support my husband through his studies. “However, look where we started and where we are now?” I said to him. I wanted to encourage him to find a job and he actually did and ended up graduating with me! This made me very happy. What a lovely youth we have!

Do you intend to do the bar?

For now, I want to finish my Masters degree because it is easy to follow during the week and since I do not expect to have a career in the future or even a job. I haven’t really considered it; however, I might do it later on – just for fun!

You are pursuing a Masters degree now. Do you find it difficult?

Yes, I started it during the fall 2013 semester and to be completely honest, what I find difficult is not the course itself but the fact that some of the assignments given contain case studies in English but the assignments themselves have to be written in Greek and this is rather complicated, at least for my age!

Why did you choose to do your masters at UNIC?

I love the environment – it’s astonishing. The youth, the life – it mesmerizes me and I was lucky enough to have the opportunity. So I grabbed it.

If you could change something about the University, what would it be?

Most lecturers used notes or slides, which were brilliant in themselves but, at least for someone like me, who needs to read something in order to learn and understand it, I found it very hard to study those lectures without a book. So I would recommend that there be more books!

Would you encourage other people your age to return to universities?

I would say it’s a bad example for young people because seeing older individuals pursuing degrees might discourage them from doing it at a young age. They must understand that it is crucial to follow a timeline; when to go to army, when to go to university, when to get married and have children, etc. There’s a right time for all these things. However, I would recommend it to the elderly because – and I don’t know how many people would agree with me – I find it boring to play cards and watch TV in order to kill time. It’s not interesting and it’s a waste of time. One could spend that time becoming more educated even if they will never use the knowledge obtained in the future.