Lone Star College-Tomball student Louella Kelly’s journey through higher education began about 60 years ago. Now, at 81 years old, it appears as though her dream of a college degree is about to come true.

A native of New Jersey, Kelly began attending Seton Hall University right after high school in the early 1960s. Circumstances prevented Kelly from finishing at Seton Hall as she needed to work full time.

Then, Kelly married, started a family, and, eventually, in 1978, relocated to Texas. Even though decades had passed, the embers of her desire for a college degree had never been extinguished. In 1995, she began taking classes at Austin Community College. She did well, but due to personal health issues, she was unable to finish.

Decades went by; then, the pandemic happened. “I was just sitting around the house,” Kelly said. “Then, I thought of Lone Star.” Her age was never a reason she used to avoid returning. Lone Star advisors helped Kelly collect the higher education credits she had earned over the years and across the country and apply them to her degree pursuit. She began taking classes in the fall of 2021 and said that the experience was “fantastic.”

“I just want this degree, because I have tried two times before over the last sixty years,” she said. In addition to obtaining her degree, Kelly had another goal. “I really wanted to get into Phi Theta Kappa,” she said, referring to the national honor society for two-year institutions.

“Louella exemplifies the best qualities of an LSC-Tomball student – she has grit!” said Professor Coulombe. “I admire how she manages to balance being a super involved great-grandmother with being a great student. Everyone, regardless of their age, should aspire to have the kind of grit that she does.” If all goes according to plan, Kelly will become a college graduate in the spring of 2023, at the age of 82.