These students are distinctive. They’re seasoned in life;they’ve had time to learn from their experiences; they’re motivatedto study. Some of them are qualified to be the parents or evengrandparents of some of us, and some have enough education to beour instructors.
Called “classic,” “non-traditional,” “mature,” or simply”older,” these men and women have chosen to walk the college roadfor reasons ranging from a new career to personal enrichment.
Eve Cuny-Hanson, 45, has returned to college as a graduatestudent, with both a bachelor’s and master’s. She’s now working onbecoming a licensed acupuncturist, inspired by her own use ofChinese medicine.
As a more mature student, she’s more confident and is not tooshy to ask “dumb” questions. She jokes that she’ll qualify forsenior citizenship by the time she’s done school but plans to workinto her 70s.
Beverly Parker, who is over 50, dropped out of college 30 yearsago. She had a family and was successful in her travel industryjob. But when the economy faltered, she became unemployed and wasmotivated to start over and get a degree.
She would not have been been willing to give up her lifestyle,yet the loss of her job gave her the opportunity to get theeducation she’s always wanted.
With the encouragement of a friend, she utilized De Anza’s RENEWservices, which are meant to reduce obstacles that can preventnon-traditional students from returning to school, and specializein addressing their needs as they are making the transition back toschool.
The “age thing” doesn’t bother her. She doesn’t feel different,even though many of her classmates are younger than her daughter.Yet she speculates that if she weren’t outgoing, it would be moredifficult.
Teachers, she’s noticed, like to get to know her because shechanges the culture of the classroom. She likes to sit thefront.
“It’s good for my eyes,” she laughs. It takes serious commitmentfor to stay in school because, unlike students fresh out of highschool who are able to get help from their parents.
“Life makes you appreciate school so much more,” she says.
Parker’s second try at college has been more successful than herfirst. Previously she did not apply herself and had a “terribleGPA,” she says. Now, she’s a member of Phi Theta Kappa.
She and her friends had “fallen into carrers,” in the past, butnow she has chosen a direction. “Now I know who I am and what Iwant.” She’s working towards a Ph.D. with an emphasis onmulticultural issues and diversity.
Don Peterman, 40, jokes that he’s on the 30-year program. Hisfuture goal is law school, and with his general education done,he’s taking mainly upper-level Political science.
While working as the manager of a car dealership, he’s alsopersevered through three classes a quarter and tries to have fundespite the stress.
As a manager, he’s learned communication skills, to argue hispoints better, and to bring to classroom real-world experience.
Marilyn Schermerhorn, 76, notices the mutual profit of differentgenerations learning together.
She’s been coming to De Anza since it was built.
Just after World War II, she worked to get her husband throughschool. Though she never got a degree herself, she has more unitsthan a college graduate and likes classes of poetry, literature,history, spinning, weaving, and lots of P.E. She has been going tocollege off and on throughout her life — “Just because I likeit.”
She says she enjoys socializing and the youthfulness of collegestudents. She says her classmates help keep her young. In return,she thinks that young people can benefit from being exposed to anolder person’s thoughts and ideas.
Peter Weber is one of the 62 percent of FHDA students whocombine classes with working 40 or more hours a week.
“I wish that young people would appreciate this place,” saysWeber. His time at college is driven by “staying up with thetechnology” of his career, he said. Weber works in a computermachine shop.
With a degree in finance from India, one of 50+ AshaSwaminathan’s goals at De Anza is to help motivate others. Shespends 15 hours a week volunteering as a teacher’s aide and triesto encourage students to improve their grades. She’s averaging”A’s.”
She organizes study groups for her classes, takes notes forclassmates when they can’t make it, and offers personal andacademic advice.
Asha’s message to young students is that, “Without an educationyou cannot come up in life.”
Faculty members have opinions on what older students add totheir classes. Accounting instructor Kenneth Harper says olderstudents, through their life experiences and their own children,often work better with people as they share and interact. They’realso often more able to focus on the subject, without as many ofthe social distractions as students just out of high school.
Computer Information Systems instructor Ira Oldham says olderstudents often have the advantage of experience as they work at DeAnza to turn old skills into new.
