Brian Key, an African American man from Reading, Pennsylvania, is making history and and proving that it’s never too late to follow your dreams. After more than four decades of having dropped out of college, he has now graduated from Reading Area Community College (RACC) with a degree in Integrative Studies and a Certificate in Cyber Defense. Even more, he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA.
Brian was 18 years old when he first started college in 1979 at Westchester University in Westchester, Pennsylvania. He was enrolled for a few years but moved to North Carolina with plans to attend North Carolina A&T, a local HBCU. However, he says that “life happened,” and he never finished his college education.
He comments, “I decided to go back to college while in my 60s because after my retirement, I wanted to keep my brain active and also start a second career. In addition, I have always been inspired by my daughter who has two degrees, a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a Master’s degree in Kinesiology. I chose Cybersecurity because I wanted to do something to enhance my mind, plus I’ve always wanted to be a hacker.”
While enrolled as a student, he also made history as one of the oldest African American students to be inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society.
