Valencia College graduates reaches milestone at 82 years old

At 82 years old, Paul Grizelle-Reid walked across the stage last month and accepted his diploma for his associate’s degree at Valencia College.

“I’m still on the high. I never thought it would be this wonderful,” Grizelle-Reid said a few weeks later after getting his first-ever degree in higher education. The youngest graduate at the same commencement ceremony was 66 years his junior. 

Already, Grizelle-Reid has enrolled at the University of Central Florida to get his bachelor’s degree in English literature. He hopes to return to Valencia as a volunteer to work with students whose first language isn’t English. 

When he finishes UCF, Grizelle-Reid will be 84 years old.

“Paul’s journey was really a powerful reminder that learning has no age limit,” said his classmate 19-year-old Milan Jacob. “He was really such an inspiration to all of us.”

Growing up, Grizelle-Reid admitted, “college really wasn’t on my mind” because he was busy working to help support his family.

He came from a large immigrant family that moved from Jamaica to New York City after his father died. His mother taught music.

One of his jobs was doing security at New York’s World Fair.

Eventually, Grizelle-Reid joined the U.S. Army for a 22-year career gave him an informal schooling on life until he retired as a Major. Then he traveled around the world to volunteer and teach English.

“I had an experience with  different cultures from Saudi Arabia to Panama to Korea to Italy and Germany,” he said. “Every time I went to each country, I was able to appreciate the culture, the language, people, music, art, literature.”

Four years ago, Grizelle-Reid moved closer to care for his brother who had Parkinson’s disease.

Grizelle-Reid, was looking for something to do in Central Florida.

At 78, he signed up for Spanish classes.

Grizelle-Reid  got good grades.

He decided to keep going.

He began pursuing his associate’s degree in general studies at Valencia’s Poinciana campus.

Some of his younger classmates initially mistook Grizelle-Reid for a professor.

Other faculty couldn’t believe Grizelle-Reid was truly in his 80s. 

Fresh-faced, Grizelle-Reid sometimes wore sweatpants and hip sneakers to class. Math instructor Jason Miller swore Grizelle-Reid was in his 60s.

The other students built a bond with their senior classmate and exposed him to Taylor Swift music.

“I think I’m a Swiftie too,” Grizelle-Reid quipped.

Grizelle-Reid befriended Jacob, an aspiring dentist, who has taken classes with him along the way. They became study partners in the library together at the Poinciana campus.

“He was just like any other student,” Jacob said.

Grizelle-Reid developed a reputation as taking his schooling seriously.

He was once the only one to show up for a prep session before a math test, Miller said.

“I really appreciate people who are appreciative,” Miller said. “He was one of those people.”

Jacob who was the one who urged Grizelle-Reid to attend their Valencia commencement ceremony last month. Otherwise Grizelle-Reid had planned to skip it. He was busy, spending long days at UCF’s main campus and then commuting back to home in Poinciana. “I don’t like honors,” Grizelle-Reid added. “I’m just a regular person living my life.”