Grandparents defy the odds and graduate college, decades after their own kids: ‘Now it’s my turn to achieve my dreams’

After walking the stage in their caps and gowns to receive college diplomas for the first time, some seasoned scholars have been proving that the pursuit of dreams is not something bound by age.

That includes Sam Kaplan, 72, who achieved his lifelong dream of being a college graduate just before his teenage grandson graduated from high school this year. "I look at myself differently now," he tells Yahoo Life.

Kaplan, one of seven siblings, who has five kids and 15 grandchildren, had “always struggled with being accepted” by peers due to a stutter that he was able to drop in his 30s, around the same time he began writing short stories as a form of escape. In May, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgia Gwinnett College in Georgia with a degree in cinema and media arts — as his 99-year-old mother cheered him on from the audience, going viral in the process.

Four years ago, after hearing a commercial for the college course on the radio, Kaplan says he made a "spur of the moment decision" to register for classes. Now, over half a century since graduating high school in 1969, he is embracing a new future.

“I sacrificed to take my kids to private schools that were an hour away. I would go there and back every day for several years to make sure they had a great education,” he shares. “So, as my son has told me, now it’s my turn to achieve my dreams.”

'They think of me as a caveman'

Janice Hall, an 81-year-old stroke survivor and two-time cancer survivor, earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational management from Minnesota's Bethel University, over 50 years after first attending college. She tried completing her degree several times over the years, but only recently felt that she was able to finish.

"I had time on my hands," the retired human resources professional tells Yahoo Life. “I had a very good career over those years of working. Nobody ever asked me for a degree in terms of the things that I did, career-wise, so I just continued to work and do what I knew best, and succeeded in that. But it was always in the back of my mind to finish [college]. And now, I did.”

Hall, who has three children, 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren, advises future scholars with similar college dreams that “there is always hope” whenever things seem challenging.

“If the will is there, the way will be made," she says.

Those sentiments are shared by Lew Griffith, a 99-year-old retired U.S. military engineer and pilot who earned a Bronze Star for his engineering work in the 1960s. Though he earned his engineering degree, among others, Griffith was never able to complete his graduation ceremonies after being interrupted three times — to serve in World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

That changed this year, when a recent commencement ceremony at the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering, where he studied, invited him to walk onstage to accept his diploma in his cap and gown.

“I was very gratified to see the student body express, with a standing ovation, that they appreciated their veterans,” he tells Yahoo Life of the support he received from younger grads. “It represented a bond between the old guys and new guys.”

Part of that bond is finding humor in their generational differences. “They think of me as a caveman,” he jokes.

Meanwhile, in Zanesville, Ohio, 102-year-old Nancy Power Hodous earned an associates degree in public service from Zane State College, made possible by Trilogy Health Service's “Live a Dream” program, which financially supports seniors in achieving their goals.

“It’s never too late to follow your heart,” she said in a statement through a representative at Oaks of Bethesda, a retirement community where she lives.

Hodous achieved the degree through a culmination of online business, arts and poetry courses — including auditing a class at Harvard University. “If it’s something you can do, go ahead and do it!” she told local news station WBNS.

Hall will go back to school in August to focus on a master’s degree in ministry, though she isn’t exactly looking to go back to work post-graduation. “At this age, I certainly don’t plan to do another career, but I’m glad that I did this now," she says. "It’s come closer to match what I promised myself.”

As for Kaplan, he says "taking risks" later in life is scary, but sometimes "it’s something you have to do."

“I’m 72, but I think I still have about 30 good years left, I hope I do anyway, and I certainly don’t want to sit around and do nothing," he says. "This whole thing has caused a great change in my life."

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.