In a touching moment, a 72-year-old man, Sam Kaplan, proudly graduated from Georgia Gwinnett College, with his 99-year-old mother in the audience witnessing the milestone. Notably, Sam is the first among his seven siblings to accomplish a degree, as confirmed by the school.
After graduating from high school in 1969, Kaplan made the life-changing decision to return to school at the age of 68.’
“I was riding down 316 and heard on the radio that Georgia Gwinnett College was offering a degree that involved script writing,” Kaplan said in a news release. “My car seemed to have developed automatic steering and I pulled off on Collins Hill Road. Five minutes later, I was registering for the fall semester.”
Expressing his apprehension, Kaplan admitted to feeling nervous about returning to school and the challenge of fitting in with students who were significantly younger than him.
The father of five made it a goal to talk to at least one student per day, forming meaningful bonds during his college experience.
“When you ask a student about what they want and plan on doing and find out what they want to do with their lives; I think that’s uncommon with a lot of kids – they don’t get that with people,” he said. “I think I have a good relationship with them. I got hugs from a lot of them on the last day of classes.”
On May 11, Kaplan proudly walked across the stage to receive his diploma, with his 99-year-old mother in attendance, as confirmed by the school. Expressing his mother’s excitement, Kaplan shared, “She’s very excited. She’s excited, happy and proud.”
