So even after she receives her doctoral degree in literature this spring and becomes the oldest-ever University of Texas at Dallas PhD graduate, Bernstein will continue to expand her education. She earned a bachelor’s degree in literary studies and art and performance and a master’s degree in arts and humanities from UTD. “This was a time of really strict censorship, when it was forbidden to educate common people.”In addition to her love of learning, Bernstein has been passionate about social issues for a long time. A poem she wrote in 2004 reflected on a child’s perspective during the civil rights era that Bernstein witnessed. For Bernstein, the road to earning a PhD was not easy and took more than 12 years.