Rūta Mikelkevičiūtė explains why she decided to study again: “People asked if I was crazy”

Television presenter Rūta Mikelkevičiūtė has begun studying animal sciences at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. She said the decision drew both disbelief and congratulations, including questions about whether she had gone crazy.

Mikelkevičiūtė said curiosity, boredom and a desire for a challenge pushed her back into education. "Is this really all I can do in this life?" she asked. She said she felt too young to accept that answer and was drawn to the uncertainty of discovering where life might lead after starting again.

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Is this really all I can do in this life?

She also described a search for meaning. The time she has left, she wrote, should go toward something that brings her joy, inspiration and purpose. Studying what she truly wants, rather than pursuing a degree because others expect it, is a luxury she believes she deserves.

Her choice of the Faculty of Animal Sciences and its human-animal interaction program reflects her love of animals and people. Rescued four-legged animals regularly lived at her grandparents' home, and she recalled spending time in their barn with piglets. She said humans and animals have influenced one another evolutionarily, while people have taken much from animals, from food to medical treatments and rehabilitation.

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I deserve the luxury! Can there be a greater luxury than studying what you truly want?

Mikelkevičiūtė said she wants scientific proof that what people feel intuitively really works. She mentioned parents and children with special needs in her circle and asked whether she could help through evidence rather than social-media trends by understanding what works, why and how.

She said she fears not the exams but whether she can fit studying around work and family. She also wonders whether a mind accustomed to television and pressure can adapt to unfamiliar literature and exams. Still, she wrote that studying can train the brain and help avoid Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

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It's my life.