ABC News 4 in Charleston, SC recently featured Navy retiree, Ed Guest, who is a 77-year-old student at Strayer University’s Charleston Campus. His story is certainly encouraging for adults who are unsure about going back to school. Strayer would like to extend our congratulations to Ed at Strayer’s Charleston campus.

Read the entire article from ABC News 4 here and below. Click here to watch the video clip.

Charleston, SC – At Strayer University, 77-year-old Ed Guest is giving a report about Russian relations to a class in Charleston. But, Guest is at the school not as a teacher but as a student.

“There’s a lot of people out there that keep thinking gee maybe I ought to go back to school maybe I should investigate to see what this is all about,” Ed says.

And that’s what Ed did. He went back to college last year at the university, the last time he was in college was 1975, and is taking two courses per semester, going for his Bachelor’s degree in business.

Ed says hopefully he’ll graduate in 2012.

Dr. Brian McCue, dean at the Strayer University campus in Charleston says, “He’s basically an inspiration. He makes me proud, not only to be the dean but to have him in class as an instructor as well, he’s probably the epitome of it.”

“I’m probably going to stick it on the wall and say hey I made it,” Ed says of the degree he’ll get when he’s 80-years-old.

It’s a goal that Ed’s prepared to tackle in this modern age.

“Now everyone has their own PC and some of them carry them in their hand, they’re so small. It’s a whole different world and a whole different generation really,” he says.

And that generation includes Olympia Dews, who started at Strayer at the same time as Ed. Olympia who is also looking to get a degree in business says, she’s learning a lot from the Navy retiree.

“Ed has that first hand know how of things in history. He’s actually been there. Matter of fact we have a topic tonight about the cold war and he was involved! Actually you can get more information from somebody’s who’s been there,” she says.

Ed was in a Naval ship overseeing the Cuban coast during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but downplays his witness to the events as being just one of many.

“It was Korea, Cold War, Vietnam, the Missile Crisis and one thing or another. You kind of had to hold your breath on what was going on in the rest of the world,” Ed says.

Now he’s the one getting attention now that he’s back to school.. Ed says, “I got neighbors all the time telling me they want my autograph or they’re proud of what I’m doing and wish they were doing it and different things like that. So I guess I must be doing something right.”

Dr. McCue says, “He’s certainly a motivational target for some students who are unsure, are a little hesitant about coming back. You know if Ed could do it I can do it.”

And Ed hopes others may consider a return to the classroom, “I think it’s been a very good experience and it’s one I think a lot of people are missing out on and they really should check it out no matter what age.”
Via ABC News 4 in Charleston