These two grads prove age doesn't matter

James Dudek remembers sitting in the College of Lake County parking lot for more than 40 minutes, wondering if someone his age belonged in college.

At the same, Daniel Loiacano was touring the school with his mother, wondering the same thing.

Two years later, at 63 and 18 years old, Dudek and Loiacano will be the oldest and youngest CLC students to receive their diplomas during Saturday's commencement ceremony.

"That first day, I sat there and saw all these youths passing by and thought, 'What am I doing here?'" Dudek said. "But after a couple hours here, the youthfulness just gets absorbed and you feel totally energized. I told my wife I never want to leave."

Dudek, of Ingleside, retired in 2005 after 41 years as an electrician. Unable to imagine spending his days shuffling around the house, he decided to enroll in school -- a place he hadn't been since graduating from high school in 1963.

The adjusting

Dudek said learning to study again was much more difficult than he could have imagined.

"I'm here every day by 8 a.m. doing homework," he said. "I have to be. I'm old and I'm slow. I had never even turned a computer on until three semesters ago."

Despite being the youngest and oldest in their classes, Dudek and Loiacano didn't have any trouble making friends, once their classmates realized they were fellow students.

"I've been called Grandpa by a couple of people, but it doesn't bother me," Dudek said. "I am a grandpa. I have a granddaughter as old as (Loiacano)."

During his first semester at CLC, when Loiacano was just 16 years old, a few of his classmates assumed he was the son of one of the women in the class.

"She was about 40, so I guess it was possible, but it was still pretty funny," Loiacano said.

Besides having to adjust to being the youngest student at CLC, Loiacano also had to get used to public school. The Antioch teen was home-schooled every year but seventh grade.

"The home-school thing was much harder than the age difference," he said. "The great thing about CLC is there is so much diversity, so I'm able to be myself and fit in a lot easier."

The road ahead

Dudek and Loiacano plan on continuing their education. Both want to enroll in online programs to work toward bachelor's degrees.

In the meantime, Dudek and Loiacano are eager to begin working, and they're hoping their ages don't stand in the way.

Dudek's degree is in construction management technology. He's hoping to find a job teaching, or work as a superintendent at a large construction firm.

"I was going to lie and tell them I'm 50, but I guess this article put an end to that," Dudek joked.

Meanwhile, Loiacano is hoping to be hired by a local hospital where he can put his degree in health information technology to use.

"I think my age will be a definite disadvantage now," Loiacano said. "I'm faced with the task of convincing managers I'm capable of doing this work."