82-year-old U of T student makes headlines after joining her daughter — a prof — and grandson on campus 

Marion Gommerman proves you’re never too old to learn. At age 82, she is a new University of Toronto student inspired to return to school after participating in an intergenerational learning program at Christie Gardens, a local retirement community and long-term care home. 

Her story has drawn significant media attention not only because of her age, but also because she’ll be studying alongside her family at U of T: her grandson, Sam Griffin, is a first-year music student and her daughter, Jennifer Gommerman, is a professor in the department of immunology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. 

“When I decided to go back, and he was enrolling in first year as well, we had a good laugh about that because we were doing some of the same things as we were registering for courses and everything,” Gommerman, a student in the Faculty of Arts & Science, told CP24.com about Griffin. “He’s going into a jazz musical program. He’s very talented.”

While Gommerman began an undergraduate degree about 30 years ago at McMaster University, she put her studies aside due to family responsibilities and personal obligations. She decided to return to school this fall after taking part in "Aging and Health" a unique course taught by Raza Mirza, an assistant professor at U of T’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. The course brings older adults and U of T undergraduates together to explore issues facing Canada’s aging population.

"If I didn't take [the] opportunity, I'd be wasting it," Gommerman told CBC News of the opportunity to restart her studies. 

Read more at CP24

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