Vietnam veteran accomplishes goal of earning college degree 40 years later

FORT MEADE, Fla. - John Draper, 75, just accomplished one of his biggest life goals by earning a college degree about 42 years after starting the process.

Draper is a Vietnam War veteran, a former church pastor and he’s a family man. He says he started college more than four decades ago, but his family was growing, and he got more and more involved with his church, so he pushed pause on school. 

Debilitating migraines also made it hard to accomplish his goal of getting a degree.

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"I acquired COPD and Parkinson’s Disease, I’m trembling now. I’ve accepted it, I’m not mad about it, I’m not upset about it, I’m not depressed about it, I just take one day at a time and do what I can do," Draper said.

He persevered through all of that while taking courses through Southern New Hampshire University.

On Thursday, his academic adviser and family members threw him a surprise graduation party where he received his diploma. 

"I was astounded, I was amazed, I was flattered, all of those things, all of those feelings, and the respect that I felt," said Draper.

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He got a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies.

"If you have a goal, and it is obtainable even though it costs a lot of effort and energy, you should pursue it," Draper said.