1:21
In addition to his job at a local bank, Neira, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, was active in the San Antonio community, particularly in the Chicano movement and in building up the economy of the city's South Side, according to Salazar.
\"I definitely have been inspired by my grandfather,\" she said. \"Through hearing loss, not having a car, taking public transportation, advocating for himself on campus, I really admired his ganas, which is like strength or perseverance, to keep going no matter what.\"
Salazar, who plans to work for a nonprofit, said she credits her grandfather's lifelong love of learning with keeping him feeling young and engaged in the world for so many years.
When Salazar told Neira that they were graduating together, she said he worried that he would take the spotlight away from her in her graduation moment.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/GMA/Neira-1-ht-er-211221_1640116256400_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
\"I told him, 'This is our moment. I want to share it with you,'\" she recalled. \"I'm so proud of my grandpa and I'm so thankful I was able to have this moment, this memory, with him.\"
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Living/23-year-woman-graduates-college-alongside-88-year/story?id=81813332","legacySlug":"/living/story/23-year-woman-graduates-college-alongside-88-year-81813332","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"09:05","publishDate":"12-27-2021","updatedTime":"09:07","updatedDate":"12-27-2021","socialImage":{"alt":"Melanie Salazar, 23, and her grandfather, Rene Neira, 87, graduated together from the University of Texas at San Antonio on Dec. 11, 2021.","credit":"University of Texas at San Antonio","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/Neira-1-ht-er-211221_1640116256400_hpMain_v4x3_16x9_992.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"12/27/2021 09:05:24 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":81813332,"headline":"Woman graduates from college with grandfather","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Woman graduates college with grandfather_211217","description":"Melanie Salazar and her grandfather attended University of Texas, San Antonio.","duration":"1:21","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/12/211227_gma_digital_grandpa_graduation_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["78333776","69756912","81449685"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"story","date":"June 17, 2021","headline":"Grandfather with Alzheimer's gives Navy-bound grandson his 1st salute","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/grandfather-alzheimers-navy-bound-grandson-1st-salute-78333776","id":78333776,"image":{"alt":"Grandfather with Alzheimer's gives Navy-bound grandson his 1st salute","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/salute-5-ht-ps-210617_1623941725443_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Courtesy Kenneth Allen","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"March 23, 2020","headline":"Family surprises 92-year-old grandfather with birthday parade","section":"family","slug":"/family/story/family-surprises-92-year-grandfather-birthday-parade-69756912","id":69756912,"image":{"alt":"Family surprises 92-year-old grandfather with birthday parade","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/92-birthday-parade-coronavirus-02-wlne-jc-200323_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"WLNE","ratio":"1x1"}},{"contentType":"story","date":"December 1, 2021","headline":"Grandfather decorates home with 1.5 million Christmas lights for granddaughter","section":"living","slug":"/living/story/15-million-lights-grandfather-continues-build-granddaughters-81449685","id":81449685,"image":{"alt":"Grandfather decorates home with 1.5 million Christmas lights for granddaughter","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/MainImage_1638301391125_hpMain_4x3t_240.jpg","credit":"Keith Mitchell","ratio":"1x1"}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Woman graduates from college with grandfather","description":"Melanie Salazar and her grandfather attended University of Texas, San Antonio.","duration":"1:21","uploadDate":"12-27-2021","publication":"12-27-2021","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/12/211227_gma_digital_grandpa_graduation_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2021/12/211227_gma_digital_grandpa_graduation_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/23-year-woman-graduates-college-alongside-88-year-81813332"}},"playlist":[{"id":"133522899","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133584123","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133579397","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133482839","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133390157","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133415361","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133414032","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133380485","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133358298","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133350119","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307515","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133307527","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133282665","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133220149","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133179167","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144373","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133144059","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133143081","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133075455","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"133063114","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:living:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"living","title":"Woman graduates from college with grandfather","pubTime":"04:05","pubDate":"12-27-2021","modTime":"04:07","modDate":"12-27-2021","taxonomyTags":"none","id":81813332,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Woman graduates from college with grandfather","mediaAssetTitle":"GMA_Woman graduates college with grandfather_211217","videoId":81813332,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/living/story/23-year-woman-graduates-college-alongside-88-year-81813332"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/81813332","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/81813332","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};