This Teen and Her 82-Year-Old Grandpa Are More Than Family...They’re Classmates

#1

This is Melanie Salazar, 18, and her 82-year-old grandfather, Rene Neira, who share a pretty unique bond.

Salazar just started her first year at Palo Alto College, where her grandpa is taking the last class he needs to get his associate's degree in economics, which makes them classmates.

Neira briefly attended St. Mary's University in the 1950s, but put his education on hold when he got married and started a family.

He took classes here and there, but after his wife passed in 2009, he became determined to graduate and started back up in the spring.

#2

Now as classmates, Salazar and Neira walk each other to class and often meet for lunch.

"It's been pretty awesome," she said. "I know it's only going to be for one semester, but I'm going to cherish that while I can."

#3

Salazar said her grandpa is her "best friend," and said attending college alongside him is "inspiring."

"Honestly to me it feels normal that I'm going to school with my grandpa," she said. "I look at my grandpa and I'm proud of him. This is a normal thing. It feels great and I'm very proud of him."

#4

Neira said he "wasn't what you would call a model student" growing up, but has come to value education for its own sake.

"Sometimes I wonder, what in the world is an 82-year-old doing, going to college?" he said. "But somehow, something keeps me going. I think it keeps me mentally alert, too."

And he's not done, as he plans to get his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Austin after this.

#5

"I'm not trying to inspire Melanie, or anybody," he said. "I'm glad that's what it's doing, but I'm just doing what I've always wanted to do."

#6

Salazar said she is definitely "going to cry" when she sees her grandpa graduate.

"Just last June, he watched me cross my high school stage and now I'm going to get to watch him cross the college stage," she said.

"He's very proud of me, and I'm very proud of him."

#7

These two became pretty well known around campus and the Internet when her tweet featuring several photos of Neira went viral and sparked a wave of news coverage.

"I don't want to take credit for it," she said. "It's not my story. It's all my grandpa's story. I just so happen to have social media."