Researcher Amal Ismail Metwally Abdo, aged 83, achieved her dream of earning a PhD from the Faculty of Arts, Mansoura University, Department of Sociology, with an excellent grade and "first class honors," along with a recommendation to publish the thesis at the university's expense and exchange it with foreign universities.

She stressed that her educational journey was delayed for many years, but she never gave up on her dream, emphasizing that age cannot be an obstacle to achieving ambitions. The Egyptian octogenarian "Amal" told Sky News Arabia in an exclusive interview that her husband had stipulated that she devote herself to raising their children and not continue her studies, so she dedicated her life to caring for her family. She affirmed that she never stopped reading and used to help her children with their studies and explain different subjects to them.

She added that her children became doctors and engineers, considering their success the fruit of many years of emphasis on education within the family. The turning point came in 2011 when her daughter encouraged her to continue her education. She explained that she applied to resume her studies at the age of 68, starting from secondary school, then joined the Faculty of Arts, and later continued her academic journey through a master's degree and then a PhD.

She noted that the title of her PhD thesis is "Active Aging and Its Relationship to Some Sociological Variables: A Study of Selected Cases of Professors at Mansoura University." It examined the relationship between active aging and a number of family, social, health, professional, and economic variables, as well as factors affecting the continued participation and integration of seniors in society. The study sample included 20 faculty members from the university's colleges of nursing, pharmacy, engineering, education, and arts. The octogenarian sent a message to everyone who believes that age is an obstacle to dreams, saying: "There is no despair with life, and no life with despair."