The student arrived early, sat front and center, and stood out in my classroom in more ways than one. I'd say that he had about 40 years on his classmates in my class. He eagerly jumped into class discussions, with his self-deprecating humor and wisdom of experience. And he was always respectful of the other students' opinions, as if each of them were a teacher. Jerry Valencia walked in with a smile-and he left with one too.
One day, Valencia said he would have to stop taking classes that semester and reapply for next year. By then, he hoped to have earned enough money from construction jobs and have his student-loan papers in order. But he said he was still coming to campus to attend events or see friends. He asked seriously whether he could still sit in on my communications class.
Sure, I said. But he wouldn't get any credit. No problem, he said.
Soon there he was again, back at his old desk, front and center, jumping into our discussions on how to find and tell stories inLos Angeles– a 63-year-old junior with as much energy and curiosity as any of the youngsters in class.
"Here he is, willingly taking a class for the joy of it and benefit of learning," says Jessica Espinosa, a 25-year old junior. "You may not see that in our generation."
Valencia showed up and took the final exam too. Afterward, I overheard Valencia say he wanted to stay in school until he earned a master's degree, but it had taken him 12 years to finish community college, so he had a long way to go.
Twelve years? He was in and out of school, he said, subject to his work schedule and whether he had money for classes. He had earned his associate of arts degree over the summer, then transferred to Cal State LA to start on his bachelor's.
