FORT VALLEY, Ga. — Fort Valley State University's 82nd Commencement Ceremony happens Saturday.
One particular graduate proves that you are never too old to learn something new.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha got to speak to a new graduate who gives being a great grad a whole new meaning.
Roger Green is 82.
He is also the oldest member of the class of 2023. Green says he already has three degrees and he's getting his fourth one on Saturday.
“Learning is fun,” Green says. “I don't believe there's an end time to when you should stop learning."
He says he has always loved learning and has pursued higher education since 1959.
“B.A. in Economics, I have a B.A. in Logistics Management, I have a B.A. in Psychology, and tomorrow I'll pick up a B.A. in history!”
Green got his logistics degree in the Air Force where he served for 21 years.
“I was in logistics, which is the concern with getting people and things from one place to another. It was exciting at times,” he laughs.
However, after he retired, “I did some retail management, and I found that supervising the military is not the same as supervising civilians."
Green says he got bored.
“I was searching for online schools,” Green says.
He discovered that Georgia state colleges and universities waive tuition for people 62 and older. Fort Valley State University was just 20 minutes down the road for him.
“It was more interesting than sitting home and watching television,” he says.
So, after 37 years Green returned to school.
“I like the environment of a school and the education, and the young people,” he says. “They make me feel young!”
Green says he's the first in his family to have gone to college. He says he wants to be a good role model for both the young and old.
“When I was growing up, it was my desire to go to college and if you can go through college– it's a mark of achievement, I believe,” he says.
Green says he'd like to go back and get his degree in criminal psychology.
He encourages anyone over 60 to go back and learn. Green says it's never too late and there's nothing to be afraid of.