At 96, Mexican Woman Fulfills Dream: Going to High School

Guadalupe Palacios stands out in her high school class in Mexico, and it is not just because of her gray hair, her deeply creased skin or her 96 years.

Palacios, who is seeking to live out her dream of finishing high school by her 100th birthday, is also the most enthusiastic student in the classroom.

"I feel ready to give it my all. Today is a marvelous day," she said Monday on her first day of high school in the southern state of Chiapas, wearing the school uniform of a white polo shirt with a black skirt and her own personal touch: a pink sweater.

"Dona Lupita," as she is affectionately known, was welcomed with applause from her fellow students at High School Number 2 in the city of Tuxtla Gutierrez, the state capital.

She diligently took notes in her chemistry and mathematics classes and even strutted her stuff in a dance class.

Palacios grew up in poverty in an indigenous village and spent her childhood helping her family farm corn and beans