It’s never too late to study! Anyone can do it! If, for some reason, they didn’t complete their career in their youth, when they see me attending college, at my age, let them say, how is this 88-year-old person going to beat us? We will also make you want!
Here’s how he expressed it to The Sun of San Luigi Mr. Francisco Castelán Guerrero, octogenarian, who is currently studying for his law degree at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí.
He was born on October 28, 1934 in the municipality of Rioverde, from an early age he devoted himself to work to support the family economy, studied elementary and middle school, later married and started a family, but with the mentality of continuing in school.
“I’ve always liked studying, getting good results and now I’m putting on all the kilos, first of all it’s a personal improvement, but the most important thing is to be a stimulus, an example for all the people who can’t finish their studies ! and they can do it! Especially right now with the facilities provided by universities teaching classes on Saturdays as you can work during the week to get tuition costs,” said Francisco who added that “it’s great that all the young men and women they are preparing, they are the future of our country”.
At 88, he has many anecdotes, but what excites him the most is talking about his personal improvement “I finished high school at CETis 106 in Ciudad Fernández, in 2005, I was a taxi driver and together with my classmates we encouraged each other, working during week and going to classes on Saturdays and that’s how we finished high school, there, in that study center, we received information that we could continue our preparation at Tangamanga University in Ciudad del Maíz, and those of us who hoped to win We agreed to continue with higher education, some chose Accounting and I enrolled in a Law Degree, but for one reason or another I moved to the Axtla campus, but it was hard for me, so I moved to San Luis Potosí and finished my 10 terms there”.
And he continues: “for a situation I was unable to graduate or graduate and there my degree was truncated, so these days the light bulb immediately went on and I said, I have the right to request my internship letter, I went to request the reports and a coordinator looked at my file and told me that I had rejected 4 or 5 subjects and they could not give me the document and I replied very macho, because I “pay” for the subjects, I take them again” .
The coordinator explained to him that study courses have changed a lot at the moment and that it would be difficult to pay for the courses and that in terms of costs, he would spend a lot to restart the degree, so he made a decision: “I want to start my degree again, from ‘beginning, from the beginning and here I am since September 10, rector, teachers, teachers and coordinators are supporting me and know me, just because of my age”.
With a broken voice and a lump in her throat, she talks about her family “my wife’s name was Juliana Arriaga Castillo, she was originally from Ocampo belonging to the municipality of San Nicolás Tolentino, I was widowed seven years ago, we had six children, five boys and a girl, and as always… like birds, they only know how to fly and leave the nest!, since then I’ve been alone, my children are fine, they work, three live in the United States She says, my daughter lives in San Luis Potosí, another one and a psychologist also moved to San Luis de la Paz, Guanajuato”.
In this life, nothing is easy and everything involves sacrifice, and Mr. Castelán’s case is no exception because every week he gets on a bus to come to the capital of San Luis Potosí: “I’m from Rioverde, I leave the power station at 11 at night truck driver, she arrived in the city of San Luis Potosí at 2 in the morning and waited for me until 7 in the morning, she took a truck that goes to El Saucito and leaves me at the gates of the University of Tangamanga, where I am studying Law; the teachers, subject coordinator teachers and academic advisors deserve my respect, they are shaking my hand quite well, they notice my interest in studies and they support me a lot”.
He also added that Arnulfo Urbiola Román, mayor of Rioverde, discovered his study intentions and gave him an acknowledgment, “my daughter has it at home, this interview is very valuable because I would like the municipal president or some other authorities read so that they provide me with support or a scholarship to cover my expenses, given that it is difficult to travel to the capital every week.” It should be noted that the means of transport that Mr. Francisco uses in his city is a bicycle.
To conclude, Mr. Castelán said that he feels very happy in this student process, “many people are recognizing me, and I am very grateful, first of all, to my great Almighty Father, to whom I ask to advise me that I have reached the month of November 2025 and practically have that precious title in your backpack,” he said with a big smile.
