‘You’re never too old to pursue your dreams’: Big Isle 71-year-old earns college degree

It was a milestone moment marking the meridian — the culmination — of a lifetime defined by breathtaking resilience.

When 71-year-old Theresa Chang accepted her bachelor of arts degree in communication Dec. 20 during University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s 2025 fall commencement ceremony at Vulcan Gym, she is living proof that it’s never too late to make a change.

She was among about 165 students who graduated during the commencement.

Chang is a survivor — she turned the darkest chapters of her life into a source of light to help others through the darkness.

She works full-time as a substance abuse counselor at Lōkahi Treatment Center in Pāhoa — and now is a full-fledged college grad.

“Going to college has truly been a remarkable and transformative chapter in my life, one that I never imagined would be possible,” she said in a story for Kūkala Nūhou, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo’s communications platform, prior to last weekend’s graduation ceremony.

Kūkala Nūhou means “to announce or herald the news.”

Chang spent much of her early adult life seeking stability after dropping out of high school at the age of 17 upon discovering she would soon become a mother. Then, in her early 20s, she began using illicit drugs — something she battled for 30 years.

“I tried many times to stop on my own, but addiction had its hold on me,” Chang said.

The turning point came 21 years ago, when she was half a century old. She moved to Colorado to embrace recovery — encouraged by her boyfriend and his sister, both of whom couldn’t wait to see her in cap and gown during fall commencement.

“That move saved my life,” Chang reflected about her relocation to the mountain state.

Sobriety brought clarity — and the desire to pursue a career.

That meant going back to school to complete her general education development, or GED, which she achieved at the spry young age of 58.

That’s when Chang and her boyfriend — who have been together 31 years — decided they were ready to come home to Hawaiʻi.

They chose the Big Island to get a fresh start — another decision Chang said changed her life.

It was during a therapy session after she and her boyfriend moved to the island that she revealed her dream of becoming a substance abuse counselor, after being asked by her therapist what she really wanted to do with her life.

Chang feared she missed the opportunity though, thinking she was too old by then to follow that dream.

“But she insisted I wasn’t. She was right,” Chang said chuckling while recalling the conversation with her therapist.

So she enrolled at Hawaiʻi Community College in Hilo and went on to earn her substance abuse counselor certificate and two associate degrees — one in liberal arts and the other in administration of justice.

Chang has since built a more than decadelong career as a substance abuse counselor.

A new goal was made after her 63rd birthday, however; this one stemmed from a desire to better serve her clients.

Chang wanted to complete a bachelor of arts degree in communication. So she applied — and was accepted — to University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo.

But her enrollment at the Hilo campus was almost finished before it started.

Chang’s son died just 2 months before she was supposed to start classes; he was killed in an altercation with police on Oʻahu.

It was a heartbreaking tragedy that nearly derailed her plans.

But Chang learned to redirect her heartbreak while at the same time discovering a particularly inspiring professor — Ronald Gordon.

Dr G, as his students call him, has been a professor in the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Communications Department since 1984, and he is the department’s longest-standing member.

His current classes include Interpersonal Communication, Seminar in Human Dialogue, Seminar in Listening, Leadership and Communication and Communication and Love.

“I would scan the catalog every semester to see what classes I could take from him,” Chang said with a laugh, adding she’s certain she took every course he offered since she enrolled. “In fact, I could have graduated last semester, but I would have missed Mindful Communication with Dr. G this fall, so I stretched it out.”

Chang’s credibility shines strongly because of her real-world experience with battling addiction. That “added mana” to Gordon’s classroom.

“Terri is a gem of a human being,” said Gordon. “She is down-to-earth, so real, so genuine. Students a half-century younger than Terri could relate to her effortlessly because she is so vitally alive.”

Chang is now ready for life’s next chapter, completing her degree with a 3.6 grade-point average while at the same time working a full-time career helping others navigate their substance abuse recovery.

She said prior to fall commencement that her thoughts while walking across the stage would likely be on her late son, who wouldn’t be there to watch his mom accomplish this milestone.

“I’ll probably cry thinking about my son,” Chang said. “But I know he’s with me in spirit.”

She would be thinking about the family cheering her on, too, watching as her dream once again became her reality.

Chang also offered one piece of sage wisdom for them — and, really, everyone.

“To my family and friends, I would say you’re never too old to pursue your dreams,” the 71-year-old grandmother and new bachelor or arts said. “I have a simple, happy life now. I will be proud of myself.”