De Anza Institutional Research’s “Spring 2016 End of Term Credit Headcount” survey reveals that students over 25 make up about 35 percent of the campus population.

Larry Baron, 70, film major, retired from the high tech field. He said it was funny that he paid taxes and often saw ballot measures related to community college but never had a personal experience with the school until now.

Baron began taking film classes when his friend asked him to help create a video and Baron wanted to learn more on how to use the camera. He continued to take classes and is now on track to receive a film degree.

Pablo Landeros, 49, health technology major, returned to school with the severance package his company gave him instead of immediately looking for a job.

Landeros initially felt nervous about coming back to school after thirty years because he was worried he’d have difficulty adjusting to the changed schooling experience.

“Classes require a book, you still read and write, you’re not always on the computer on anything,” Landeros said. “I eased right into it the first week.”

Farhad Nazari, 65 is a medical assistant who takes De Anza classes to help build his work portfolio.

“If you add more to your portfolio, it opens more doors,” Nazari said.

Nazari said De Anza is a friendly college campus with friendly people. He hopes that his education leads to something good in his career.

Staurt Rhides, 37, liberal arts major, is paid by the U.S. government under the GI Bill to go to De Anza College. He also hopes the major will pad his resume and advance his career.

He and his wife both have full-time jobs and they just had their first child. “I’m very tired a lot of times and it’s pretty hard to do,” Rhides said.

Rhides said school is a little bit easier than when he was younger. He feels that the classes go faster now and he can more easily get the work done.

Whether attending De Anza for the first quarter of their college career, or returning to college after many years, the campus is a great place for students to develop oneself.