Former electrician John Adesoye, 64, graduated in July 2026 with a nursing degree from the University of the West of England in Bristol. The Nigerian native completed a two-year training program offered by the National Health Service, the British public medical service, according to a press release from the university.
Adesoye grew up in a rural Nigerian family and developed an early interest in electronics through his family's radio set. He later lived in Greece, where he worked as an electronics technician, before moving to the United Kingdom. In 2013, he retrained as a healthcare assistant, and two years ago he decided to study to become a state-certified registered nurse.
In the university press release, Adesoye said he honestly never thought he would go to university one day, but he holds a passion for learning. He explained that he was very curious even as a child, and when he got the chance to go to university, he seized it fully and pursued it with enthusiasm.
Campus life with family
Throughout the two-year program, the father of five spent one day each week attending university classes, while spending the rest of his time at his apprentice post at the hospital. At the same time, his son Daniel was enrolled in a music production program on the same campus, according to the university, leading the pair to pass each other in the hallways.
Adesoye will now work as a nurse at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. The facility is the same hospital where he carried out his apprenticeship during his training.
Speaking at his graduation ceremony, the 64-year-old encouraged others not to listen to anyone who tells them they are too old for university. He stated that if he could do it, others can as well, adding that people are brighter and stronger than they think.
