GRADUATED WITH A PHD

When Helen Sturm took to the stage at her University of Auckland graduation in September, it not only marked the completion of her PhD in French, it was also the moment she broke 2019’s record as the university’s oldest graduate.

“I’m not sure that title is actually very nice,” laughs Helen, 77. “But I suppose I wanted to be on the stage so the younger women in the audience could see that older women are still studying and loving it and succeeding.”

The grandmother of six, from Birkenhead, Auckland, admits when she retired in 2012 she wanted a new challenge. “When you retire, you realise that you have, or hope you have, quite a while in front of you. It’s like being handed another lifetime,” she smiles.

Helen initially signed up to do a

MA in French, following on from a degree she did in the language back in 1962. After completing that, Helen started her PhD, translating letters by French missionaries from around the time of the Treaty of Waitangi.

“It was all about plucking up that courage to make that first phone call or send that email to ask about enrolling. That’s the hardest bit,” explains Helen. “But yes, going back to the same university 50 years later was very eyeopening. And I might have been older than the other students but we all got on so well.”

Helen, who previously worked for the Ministry of Education, confesses she now thinks she’s earned a bit of a rest. “I think I’ll just enjoy life for a little while now,” she laughs.

When you retire… it’s like being handed another lifetime’