Fransina Abela had always dreamt of becoming a lawyer but was discouraged by her grandmother who advised her to be wary of entering a man's world.

Yesterday, at 58, she finally fulfilled her long-held wish and took the oath of allegiance to the Constitution along with 45 fellow classmates.

She is no stranger to the legal world - there are two judges and two lawyers in the family on her mother's side and she was described by relatives as a natural born lawyer even at a young age.

But after listening to her grandmother's counsel early in life, she embarked on a music career instead - the musician in her was inherited from her father's side. She opened a music school and taught piano.

However, recently, she couldn't help noticing the drop in the number of children wanting to learn classical music, especially with IT becoming increasingly popular and new pop groups bursting onto the music scene.

It proved to be the final nudge she needed to take the plunge.

It was a big decision for her especially with 130 students learning music at her school. But with the support of family and friends, particularly her husband, she forged ahead.

She said that she also received a lot of help from her fellow students at the university who treated her as one of them even though she was a mature student.

"It was hard and at times I wanted to just give up but I made it through," she said.

Dr Abela added that she would like to encourage all women her age to fulfil their dreams and to let nothing hold them back.

The swearing-in ceremony was held yesterday when 45 law graduates became fully-fledged lawyers just days after receiving their warrant.