Temple University dispatcher who returned to school after decades hopes to inspire others
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A Temple University Police dispatcher, Brian Hathaway, is proving it's never too late to go back to school.
"It took me 41 years from start to finish and it was something I am very, very proud of," Hathaway said.
It all started in 1981 when Hathaway received a full ride to Temple.
After a year, he dropped out and gave up his scholarship because of family challenges. He started working.
"It was a horrible thing for me. It was one of the biggest regrets of my life," he said
Hathaway went on to have a successful career in sales, but he wanted to do something different. In 2013, he was hired as a dispatcher at Temple, and he started classes two years later.
"We are all trying to make a difference and I think we have, very much so," he said.
In December 2022, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in general studies with an emphasis on criminal justice and psychology.
"It was the greatest feeling of my life other than the birth of my two children," he said.
And his public safety team at Temple, whom he calls family, has been cheering him on.
"All of that work that he put into being successful he did on his own time and he works exceptionally hard and he is a great teammate, he is a great advocate for public safety, and we are so proud," said Jennifer Griffin, the vice president of public safety.
Hathaway is currently getting his masters in counseling and psychology with plans to ultimately work as a therapist to continue helping others. Hathaway will also be the alumni speaker at the Bachelor of General Studies graduation on Thursday.
Both of his children are also Temple graduates.
"And I would say that to anybody who is watching this, that if you have doubts about it yourself, let them go," he said. "It's not that hard, it can be done."