Some Well-Known Public Figures Attended 2-Year Schools
If you’re gearing up to attend a community college in the fall, then you’re in good, and even famous, company. These prominent figures went to community colleges, though not all of them graduated from the two-year institutions they attended. For instance, some transferred and others left school to pursue acting gigs. Here’s what they’ve said about their experiences.
George Lucas
How you know him: Filmmaker behind the “Star Wars” franchise
School: Modesto Junior College
In his words: “I didn’t like school and all I wanted to do was work on cars,” Lucas said, of himself in high school, in 2010. “But right before I graduated, I got into a really bad car accident, and I spent that summer in the hospital thinking about where I was heading. I decided to take education more seriously and go to a community college.”
Lucas later transferred to a four-year university.
Amy Tan
How you know her: Author of “The Joy Luck Club” and other works
School: San Jose City College
In her words: Tan once said that attending a community college “was a wonderful decision.” She added: “Perhaps it was the only decision I could have made. I didn’t have a lot of money, and I was putting myself through college.”
Current students can look to scholarships to help pay for community college.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
How you know him: Former governor of California
School: Santa Monica College
In his words: Schwarzenegger took what would now be known as an English as a second language course. “I had so much fun in that class, and we had so much help from that teacher, that I was so inspired,” the then-governor said during a commencement speech at Santa Monica College in 2005.
Community colleges can be a good option for international students who want to improve their English skills.
Tom Hanks
How you know him: Movies such as “Captain Phillips”, “Saving Private Ryan” and “Forrest Gump”
School: Chabot College
In his words: “I drove past the campus a few years ago with one of my kids and summed up my two years there this way: ‘That place made me what I am today.'”
Hanks said one of the reasons he chose to attend community college was affordability.
Aaron Rodgers
How you know him: Quarterback for the Green Bay Packers
School: Butte College
In his words: In recent seasons, Rodgers has given a shoutout to Butte College — instead of the four-year university he later transferred to — during team introductions of televised football games.
Joining an athletic team or another student organization is one way community college students can build a support network on campus.
Eileen Collins
How you know her: Astronaut who became first woman to command a shuttle mission
School: Corning Community College
In her words: Collins earned an associate degree in math and science: “I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, specifically what type of career field I was going to go into, I just knew that I wanted to, pursue that interest.”
Attending community college can be a good way to explore for students who aren’t sure what career they want to enter.
Guy Fieri
How you know him: TV shows, such as “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”
Schools: College of the Redwoods, American River College
In his words: “I know, firsthand, the impact that California’s community colleges can have on a person’s life,” Fieri said in a 2011 public service announcement.
If you want to study a specific vocation or subject, such as the culinary arts, at a community college, look for a school that’s strong in that area.
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
How you know her: First Hispanic woman elected to Congress
School: Miami Dade College
In her words: “In an economic environment where some form of higher education is increasingly necessary to compete, community colleges are being recognized as a path to entering the workforce without overwhelming debt,” she said in 2013.
Community college students can take several steps to make their education as affordable as possible.
Jim Lehrer
How you know him: Former host of “PBS NewsHour”
School: Victoria College
In his words: “I worked eight hours a day while I was doing it,” he said in 2014, of his community college experience. “There were small classes. They cared about me. It helped me later on. That would be true of anybody today who wanted to go to community college, I hope.”
Learn how to get the most out of a community college experience whether you’re juggling a job, like Lehrer, or balancing other types of commitments while studying.
Morgan Freeman
How you know him: Movies such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Million Dollar Baby”
School: Los Angeles City College
In his words: Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel once asked Freeman, who has a well-known and distinct voice, where he learned to speak so beautifully. The actor credited his community college: “I went to school to study how to be an actor,” said Freeman. “And in that school — Los Angeles City College — I had a voice and diction instructor who was very good at his job.”
The Los Angeles area boasts many community colleges. To learn about the school options near you, check out the U.S. News Community College Directory.
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Famous People Who Attended Community College originally appeared on usnews.com
