Former drug dealer, David Norman, has just earned his B.A. in philosophy from Columbia University. He is now the oldest graduating from his class at 67-years-old. Better late than never.
Norman said,
“It was a great feeling. I’m just now starting to come down from my little high.”
Norman had a hard life. He started drinking when he was only 11 and using Heroin at just 15. In 1967, he caught a manslaughter charge just three decades after he stabbed a man. Norman had been arrested for drug trafficking, robbery, and more. He says,
“I had a moment of clarity in which I was able to recognize everything I had done at that point was fairly counter-productive and I needed to engage in some new activities and some new behaviors,”
After his release from jail in 2000, Norman was able to find a job with as a outreach worker at Mount Vernon Hospital. He then was accepted into Columbia University’s School of General Studies. The 67-year-old said it did not bother him any that he was much older than his classmates. His mind was focused on what he wanted to do with his life and that was get a degree. He said,
“I had a good rapport with the young people because they always amazed me,”
Norman is now working as a research assistant at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health. He plans to write a tell-all book about his journey. He had one thing to say to people in the same boat as him.
“It’s always possible to pursue your dreams.”
Beautiful story. Congratulation to David Norman.
Source: Complex
