Patty Soter accomplished a longtime goal of her at Commencement: earn her associate degree. At 72, she finally did it.
Patty Soter was just one of hundreds of graduates to walk the stage at last week’s Commencement Ceremony at Schoolcraft College.
The Plymouth resident had her mortarboard, gown and family supporting her as she walked across the stage after hearing her name. She shook hands with Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of the College. And she took plenty of pictures with family and fellow students.
What’s so unique about Soter, you ask? Probably the fact that she is old enough to be some graduates’ grandmother.
At 72, Soter has already worked for decades and has retired, but had a strong calling to return to school and complete her associate degree. She had taken some classes at other schools’ in the past, but had never finished. She instead joined the workforce, doing jobs such as a reservationist for an airline and a secretary for various institutions, including the University of Michigan. Looking to enhance her skills, she began taking classes at another community college, but never did finish the degree.
It wasn’t until she retired that she decided to go back and finish her program.
“There are other things that were going on. I think I stopped this journey about four times,” she said. “When I retired from U of M, I decided this was the time. It was time for me to complete my goal, and I wanted a college education.”
Soter spoke to an advisor, who told her she only had a few classes to go before she could earn her degree. She was familiar with Schoolcraft College — she lives in Plymouth and had taken several Personal & Professional Learning fitness classes — so she enrolled in credit courses. One such course was THEA 120: Theatre Activities I with Paul Beer and THEA 210: Acting I with Michael Herman,
Her grandchildren have done theater, so she decided to give it a shot. It was a class she truly enjoyed.
“It was the best thing I could have done. It’s so fun,” she said. “Paul Beer was great. He is a wonderful instructor.”
While she’s felt incredibly comfortable on campus as a student, there have been some moments that her age was on full display. One such moment was before one of her classes started, she saw a group of younger students in the hallway. Deciding she was find a seat, she walked in the classroom, only for the younger students to follow her, thinking she was running the lesson.
“I guess they saw me as an older person walking in there and they said, ‘Oh, that must be the instructor,’ so everybody follows behind me,” she said. “They were shocked.”
Despite earning her associate degree this past weekend, Soter said her educational career may not be finished quite yet: she plans on taking some time for some traveling, but is seriously considering enrolling at Wayne State University to earn her bachelor’s degree.
Her advice? It’s never too late to go to school and complete your goals.
“I guess you can only say ‘Just do it,’” Soter said. “Think outside the box. Improve your improve your mental capacity, as well as your physical capacity. because it’s all here.”