Returning to School a Decade Later - A Perspective from the Class of 2009

In 2012, a viral video clip from the television show 30 Rock began to circulate around the internet. Taken from the episode "The Tuxedo Begins", the clip presents Steve Buscemi as a detective attempting to blend in with a group of high school students. "How do you do, fellow kids?" he asks as he slings a skateboard over his shoulder, his clothing being a caricature of what someone his age might think a typical teenager would wear. Despite his best efforts, he is hilariously out-of-place among those many years younger than him:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiOMbqPHFwo (relevant timestamp from 0:20-0:30)

This is the situation I painfully imagined myself in upon walking into Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) in the Fall of 2023. While I had graduated high school with High Honors and a great GPA, my priorities were quite different back in 2009. And now, partway through my 30s (with facial hair visually adding another decade), I was almost twice the age of a standard college freshman. Even if I were able to pull off the classic "student" look and mannerisms better than Buscemi, I wouldn't stick out any less. Anyone would be able to tell that I was over a decade late to the party; at least, that's what my anxiety told me.

So, as I made my way down Takena Hall and into the First Resort office, I tried to be as small as possible: head down, avoiding eye contact, neutral expression. As the New Student Orientation progressed, however, I began to realize something about the other students:

No one cared that a 32-year-old had somehow infiltrated their ranks.

It finally dawned on me that, regardless of age, background, and circumstance, we were all here for the same reason. We all bring different strengths to the table. One LBCC advisor even remarked that, given the majority of LBCC's students are fresh out of high school, it was refreshing to work with older students.

"What I love about advising is the student's stories that they tell me, their unique experiences," Tiffany Madriaga stated. Having been a college advisor for 16 years, Tiffany has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds. "It's very fun to work with students who have had more life experience," she continues. "The view of students who have had some life experience is very different from those straight out of high school. And I think it's good for students to learn from each other in the classroom."

This isn't without its challenges, though. Aside from trying to balance school, work, family, and other life obligations, one specific hurdle could be technology. "If I were to go back to school, the technology has changed so much that it would be quite the adjustment to keep up with what the latest style is for schooling," she admitted. With technology advancing at an exponential rate, and especially with the rise in remote or asynchronous courses due to the pandemic, it could be a challenge for someone a bit more set in how they do things.

Despite of any barrier they may face, though, it is certainly doable. Tiffany went on to recount an example of an older gentlemen she worked with who, despite many things in life trying to hold him back, stayed the course. In fact, with her help and the assistance of the students and faculty around him, he ended up graduating with two degrees: horticulture and automotive technology!

So regardless of why, when, or how one may have paused their pursuit of education, it is not beyond picking up again! To the contrary, the added experience they have in the world will be a great asset to them and their fellow students. We learn not only from textbooks and lectures, but by sharing our stories with those around us. Together we grow, and together we thrive, no matter whether we are a brand-new leaf or an old, gnarled root in the tree of life.