HARRIMAN, Tenn. — For some people, returning to school may seem like a distant dream. However, state education leaders want people to know it's never too late to go back to college.
That's why they created the Tennessee Reconnect initiative. Several public colleges and four-year universities participate in the initiative. Students can receive a last-dollar grant meant to pay their remaining tuition balance after other forms have financial aid have been applied.
Eligible adults who are 24 years old and older and are pursuing an associate degree, a technical degree or a technical diploma at a participating college are eligible for the grant.
A Knoxville woman also wanted people to know that nobody is ever too old to go back to school. Myneshia Fears will graduate in August with an associate degree in criminal justice, and will also become the first person in her family to graduate from college.
"My dad always told me the best investment is you, so I had to do it not only for me but most importantly for my father," she said.
She said that she wants to become a crime scene investigator. She is 43 years old and started college after she was abruptly laid off from a sales job she had for 10 years.