A septuagenarian from Solana, Cagayan has completed his secondary education this graduation season, earning admiration from classmates, faculty, and online audiences alike.
Mario Resurrection, 77, finished the Agri-Fishery Arts strand under the Technical Vocational Livelihood Track at Sampaguita National High School, according to a report by GMA News 24 Oras. His graduation this March drew widespread attention, with his story spreading beyond the school community after a practice teacher shared it online.
James, a YouScooper who served as a student intern at Sampaguita, had a front-row view of Lolo Mario’s quiet determination. The two crossed paths regularly at the school library, where the interns conducted their sessions and where the elderly student was a constant fixture.
“He is not my student, but we interns would often talk to him because he was usually in the library where our room was located, and he would sometimes ask us questions,” James said.
The repeated encounters moved James enough to document what he was witnessing. “I noticed him quite often, and I took a video of him last year because it was my first time seeing a student as old as him in person. I felt that his story was worth sharing online,” he said.
Lolo Mario’s return to the classroom was driven by a specific goal — he wants to become a degree-holding agricultural engineer. He sees the agriculture sector as vital to the nation, and believes pursuing the field could meaningfully benefit his household.
