Sitting down and resting after her kickboxing class, Tracey Sullivan, 34, a junior Communications major, laughs as she gives her view of college as a non-traditional student.

“It’s the spiked hair, the tongue rings, the wearing the shirts to show your bellybutton,” she said. “I mean it’s a culture shock!”

A college student is no longer an 18-year-old kid just out of high school. Approximately 2,000 of the 7,000 students enrolled are 28 or older. However, 19 to 27 year olds make up the largest age group on campus.

Looking around the classrooms, it’s easy to see people of all ages and different backgrounds. With today’s fast-paced and competitive work force, many people are returning to college to finish a degree or to brush up on their job skills.

Irma Herrera, secretary of the Student Success Center, defines a non-traditional student as “someone who has been out of school for at least a year or more. They can be any age.”

The Student Success Center offers a variety of services for all students. The Lending Library and the Child Care Scholarship are just two services that non-traditional students might find helpful.

Jose Manuel Silva, 26, a freshman Communications major, decided to enroll at Palo Alto College when he came to get some information for a friend.

“It was a spur of the moment thing,” said Silva.

Silva was in the Air Force for four years. He then worked odd jobs and later worked in communications construction. Although he enjoyed what he was doing, he thought that he would prefer an indoor job. He figured the only way to do that was to come back to school. Just thinking about having to work in the hot sun when it’s very hot and in the cold when it’s very cold keeps him motivated. Silva encourages family and friends to come to college and get an education.

Silva said, “The longer you wait, the harder it’s going to get.”

Bobbi Lindsey, 49, a sophomore Sociology major, said she has raised her children and now wants to finish school. Lindsey, a wife and mother, is also a work-study at the Ozuna Learning Resource Center, but she doesn’t stop there. She will soon start volunteering at the State Hospital. She says she stays on track by studying with her daughter. Lindsey also encourages people who are not doing anything to come to school.

“You have to be positive about it,” said Lindsey. “You just have to do the best you can.”

Tracey Sullivan will transfer to the University of Texas at San Antonio next semester, and she wants to get into the public relations field. Sullivan, also a wife and mother, has made both the President’s List and the Dean’s List.

“Just being able to put priorities first and then take care of other things later…that’s just been a good motivating tool for me,” said Sullivan.