World’s ‘slowest’ student finally graduates at 71 | World News

Arthur Ross, 71, has achieved a major milestone after an astounding 54-year journey, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia (UBC). Ross holds the record for longest time out of college.

“The title of your story should be ‘UBC finally graduates slowest student,'” the 71-year-old told University of British Columbia With an easy laugh.

Ross first enrolled at UBC in 1969. “I just wanted to learn because I was curious. It was this desire to learn that motivated him to complete his degree after all these years,” he said.

Originally intending to pursue a degree in English, Arthur Ross discovered his passion for theater during his second year at UBC. As he spent more and more time in the theater department, his love for the performing arts became omnipotent. He threw himself into the production and took classes that fueled his desire to become an actor.

“I was hooked on theater at the time. It was alive and alive and fresh. It was like electricity to me,” Ross recalls. In the department, he will meet famous Canadian actors such as Nicola Cavendish, Larry Lillo, Brent Carver and Ruth Nicol, inspiring him to pursue further theatre.

After two years at UBC, Arthur Ross made the decision to leave the university. He attended a three-year comprehensive program at the prestigious Canadian National Theater Academy in Montreal. However, as Roth delved deeper into the practical aspects of an actor’s life and critically assessed his own abilities, he came to a painful realization.

“I love it so much. It’s not going to be healthy for me. I know I’m a good actor, but I always thought you had to be great.”

So he did what any aspiring actor who felt he might be surpassed would do in 1975. Ross completed three years of academic work at UBC, then went to law school in Toronto, graduated and worked as a civil litigator in Greater Vancouver for 35 years before retiring in 2016.

In November 2016, Ross contacted UBC to start a new chapter in his educational journey. When he started attending UBC as a part-time student in January 2017, he wasted no time getting a new student number. His academic pursuits turned to the field of history, focusing on the intricacies of World War I.

“I just can’t understand why so many people are prepared to participate in this massacre,” he explained. “However, the great lesson of taking a history degree lies not in answering the original question, but in examining the sordid nature of Canadian history.”

“I’m grateful that the students took on the old guy who tuned in from outer space,” he told UBC.