Street vendor fulfils the dream of graduating from college at 52

The popcorn made it possible for me to study for a degree.

They say that it is never too late to pursue and achieve your goals; It doesn’t matter how old you are; if you set your mind to it, you can get it. Overcoming adversity to fulfil a dream is great satisfaction, and not only that, it also serves as an inspiration and example for other people. There are many such stories, but today we want to talk about the moving case of Samuel Cardoso Brito.

Samuel is a street vendor from Paraná, Brazil, who just graduated from university at 52. The man traded popcorn and chips in a kind of cart. This allowed him to carry out a career. I couldn’t be happier with his achievement. So much so that he decided to share this success on social networks, which immediately moved users.

According to the Metropolis medium, Samuel had a difficult childhood because he left school at a young age to dedicate himself to work. His family was low-income, so Samuel had to go to work to help financially in his house. And despite being far from the classroom, Cardoso developed an inexplicable love for reading.

By the time he was 15 years old, Samuel always carried a book, comic or story with him. At that time, he worked in a mine and used his breaks to start reading. And so he continued his life, working and reading without thinking about venturing into a university degree.

However, the decision to do so was made at age 40 after being rejected for a job. Cardoso covered all the profile requirements except for studies since he had not completed high school. He then moved to a rural area where everything was cheaper and resumed classes. There he also discovered his love for English, and Samuel began to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Finally, he found it and put all his effort into entering, enduring and graduating. This was possible thanks to popcorn sales outside parties and in the streets. After several years, Samuel graduated from the University of Uberaba in a course from the Distance Education Network.

But the story does not end there because the man still wants to continue studying and plans to do a postgraduate degree. Despite being 52 years old, he does not see his age as an impediment to continuing his studies because he believes education is the key to getting ahead.