83 Year-Old Student Earns His Diploma From SUNY Empire

WESTCHESTER, NY — On Saturday, Sheldon Friedland graduated with his fellow SUNY Empire State College students, but the 83-year-old undergrad took the long way getting to the virtual commencement ceremony.

Friedland was occupied with military service, building a business and raising his family for much of his life, but the octogenarian finally got around to completing the college degree he first started when he was 18-years-old. On Saturday, the Yonkers resident turned his tassel with 2,761 fellow SUNY Empire State College 2021 graduates in a virtual ceremony.

Friedland said he decided to pursue his college degree in his early 80s in order to fulfill a commitment he made when he was 18-years-old taking fine arts courses at Brooklyn College. His brief time as a young college student was cut short when he was called to serve during the Korean War.

“I never abandoned my dream of earning a college degree,” Friedland said. “Over the years, despite the time-consuming responsibilities of supporting a family and running a business, I took museum and college courses and created works of art, some award-winning. At the age of eighty-three and fully retired, I decided I wanted to join my wife, children, and grandchildren as a college graduate.”

Friedland graduated summa cum laude with a degree in the arts. He says the accomplishment is especially meaningful to him, in part, because two of his four grandchildren also earned their degrees this year at DePaul University.

“22 years ago, when they were born, who could have imagined this happy alignment of events?” Friedland marveled. “Now Daniel, Matthew and I join their parents, sisters, uncle, and my wife as the proud recipients of college degrees, and we add to our family’s legacy of learning."

Friedland said that at 83 years of age, he doesn’t plan to turn his degree into a new career, but instead he hopes to combine his newfound knowledge with the credibility of a college degree to volunteer his time to arts organizations.

“This is the culmination of a lifelong pursuit,” Friedland said. “I’m gleeful. I’m walking on air.”