On the first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder(肩膀). “Hi, girl! My name is Rose, I’m 87 years old.” “Why are you in college at such a young age?” I asked jokingly. “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one！”she replied. Rose became a college symbol(象征) this year and she easily made friends with the other students. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football party. I’ll never forget what she taught us. “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying young, being happy and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor(幽 默) every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose you dreams, you die!” she said. “There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nine years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do anything, you will turn 20 years older. If I am 87 years old, and stay in bed for a year, and never do anything, I will turn 88. Anybody can grow older. But every minute counts for young men,” she added. She ended her speech by singing The Song of Rose. She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live then out in our daily lives. At the year’s end, Rose finished the college education she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.