Never Too Late

Who knew a man from Guatemala, a cancer survivor, a 61-year old man from Brooklyn and a retired college professor would all have something in common? Believe it or not, they were all high school dropouts.

But they all eventually went back to earn their GED credentials.

I had the privilege of speaking to each of these individuals, and several others like them, on the phone recently while I was working on putting together a media advisory for the Adult Education and Literacy Student Recognition Ceremony that took place last Wednesday at SCC. The ceremony recognized students who successfully achieved their GED credentials as well as students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program for achievement, improvement and attendance.

My favorite picture from the ceremony, taken by Ben Munson.

The conversations I had and the stories these remarkable people shared touched my heart and made me really appreciate what I do and what SCC represents. We’re an institution for higher learning, but we’re also so much more than that. We support all kinds of education, whether you’re going back to school 20 years after the fact, or if you just want to take some classes for fun. There all different walks of life here at SCC, and here are just a few highlights of the unique people I had the privilege of speaking with last week, in a news release that went out today from SCC: GED Recipients and English as a Second Language Students Honored at SCC's Adult Education and Literacy Student Recognition Ceremony.

I hope you found their stories as inspiring as I do, and I hope you take away something similar to what I learned after speaking with all of these wonderful people: It’s never too late, and life is too short to let it pass you by. If a man who is over the age of 60 has the courage to go back to school and get his GED credential nearly 40 years later, you can do something remarkable too.

Start training for that marathon.

Take a class in rock climbing.


Go skydiving.

(Or if you’re afraid of heights like me, try scuba diving.)

Take that trip to Hawaii you’ve always talked about.

Go on a random road trip with friends.

Go back to school. Call up an old friend or family member and re-connect. Don’t take people for granted. Spend the money you don’t have. Do something crazy. Take the risks. Live life to the fullest, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something.