For more than 40 years, Rick Anderson carried around a regret he couldn't quite let go of. He had built a successful career as a hairstylist, traveled the world, and cultivated a lifelong love of art and history. He considered himself fortunate. But there was one thing he had never finished: high school. "I always had regrets about it," Anderson said. "It was 40 years of it."
In June, Anderson became the first Spokane Community College (SCC) High School+ student to earn both a Washington State high school diploma and an associate degree through the program. This fall, he'll continue his education at Whitworth University, where he'll pursue a bachelor's degree in art history.
Unfinished Business
Anderson left high school during his senior year in the late 1970s. As a young gay man, he found high school difficult to navigate at a time when acceptance looked very different than it does today. Instead, he enrolled in cosmetology school and launched a career that proved both successful and fulfilling. "I had a good life," he said. "I've had a successful life."
In spite of his success, Anderson’s unfinished education continued to bother him. For years, he drove past SCC’s Adult Education Center on Monroe St. in Spokane, which featured ads for opportunities to finish high school. “Every time I saw it, I thought the same thing: I want to finish high school,” he said.
Eventually, on a snowy winter day, Anderson pulled into the parking lot instead of driving by. That decision led him to Spokane Community College's High School+ program, which allows eligible adults to earn a Washington State high school diploma while also completing college-level coursework.
Discovering a Love of Learning
Initially, Anderson's goal was simple. "I really did just want to get a high school diploma," he said. As he began taking classes though, he discovered he loved learning and being a student. "It's different coming back as an older person," he said. "I wanted to be there. I wanted to learn."
Anderson started by taking just a couple of courses before gradually branching out. History courses quickly became his favorites, reinforcing an interest he had cultivated for years through travel, museum visits and independent reading. “All the history classes I just dug, I loved,” he said. “They weren't even work—It was fun.”
He also discovered that returning to school later in life came with advantages. Unlike in his teenage years, he wasn't attending because someone expected him to. He was there because he had chosen to be there. "I didn't come here to get Cs," he said. "I came here to get As."
Along the way, he learned new academic skills, from writing research papers in MLA format to becoming more comfortable with technology. Anderson found encouragement from instructors who challenged and supported him.
He credits faculty members with helping him succeed, especially Adult Basic Education instructor Anna Gamble, who guided him through the High School+ program, along with instructors who made history and English come alive in the classroom. "I loved my teachers," he said. "I had awesome teachers at SCC."
Beyond High School
As Anderson progressed through the program, he realized he could do more than finish high school. By combining his remaining high school requirements with college coursework, he ultimately completed an associate degree as well, becoming the first student in Spokane Community College's High School+ program to earn both credentials.
What began as a goal to finish something left undone had grown into the foundation for Rick Anderson’s next chapter. This fall, he will continue that journey at Whitworth University, where he'll pursue a bachelor's degree in art history. Anderson isn't certain where that degree will ultimately lead, but that doesn’t concern him too much. "I may do something, or I may not," he said. "But at least I can say I did it."
When Anderson gets asked for advice about returning to school, he doesn't focus on careers or earning potential.
"We all have regrets in life," he said. "Most of them you can't go back and redo. This is one that I could."
For him, completing high school wasn't about proving anything to anyone else. It wasn't about checking a requirement for a job or meeting someone else's expectations. "I did it for myself," he said. Today, the feeling he carried for more than four decades is gone. "I don't have that nagging shame anymore," he said. "I have a diploma. And I’ll have a couple degrees too."
Interested in finishing your high school diploma? Spokane Community College's High School + program helps eligible adults earn a Washington State high school diploma while gaining valuable college credit that can apply toward a certificate or degree. Whether your goal is to continue your education, prepare for a new career or simply finish something you started years ago, it's never too late to take the next step.