96-Year-Old WWII Vet Alfonso Gonzales Is On Track To Become USC’s Oldest Grad

*He transferred to USC in 1947 and was one class short of graduating. He’s back this semester, 96 years old, to complete that one class where he’ll write his life’s story. Talk about Si Se Puede . . . VL

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By Yara Simón, Remezcla (1.5 minute read)

At 96, Alfonso Gonzales is set to become the oldest graduate in the University of Southern California’s history. After serving in the Navy and as a Marine in Okinawa during World War II, he started his undergraduate studies at Compton Community College before transferring to USC in 1947. But he never finished – at least that’s what a family member trying to get a copy of his degree learned.

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“I thought all I had to do was go over there and pick up my diploma, but no, I was one unit short, they told me,” Gonzales, who goes by Ponchie, told ABC7.

So he signed up for an elective course at the Davis School of Gerontology to receive his bachelor’s degree . . . READ MORE

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[Photo by Dorinda Geddes, courtesy of Remezcla]

Suggested reading

“If you don’t do anything, nothing will happen.” Nancy De Los Santos Reza learned this important lesson early in life. College wasn’t an option, so she got a job as a secretary. A colleague, an older woman who had taken a liking to her, encouraged Nancy to ask her supervisor about attending a professional conference in California. “What’s the worst that could happen?” the woman asked. “They say ‘no’ and you don’t go? You’re already not going.” As a result, Nancy found herself in San Francisco on a life-changing trip. She would go on to earn two college degrees and become the producer of Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel’s movie review program, At the Movies.

De Los Santos Reza’s is one of eight inspiring personal essays by Latinas included in this collection. Each contributor overcame obstacles to happiness and success, and here they share their life lessons in the hopes of motivating others. Whether overcoming fear, guilt or low self-esteem, these women seek to encourage others to discover their personal power.

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