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At 59 years old, liberal arts major Warren Wartman isn鈥檛 just the oldest student in his classes; he has many of his professors beat, too.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think about it,鈥� Wartman grins. 鈥淒enial is my friend.鈥�

Originally from the Chicago area, Wartman attended Northern Illinois University in the mid-1980s before leaving school to work in construction. He became a licensed electrician and spent most of his adult life in the trade, eventually moving to Boston in 2004.听

But in 2021, nagging back issues forced him to rethink his career path. He decided to enroll in Middlesex Community College to pursue his longtime interest in theater.

鈥淚 always had vague aspirations of returning to school, but I never thought it would be possible in a practical sense,鈥� says Wartman, who excelled in his studies at Middlesex and qualified for the UMass Community College Advantage Scholarship (), which provides students with $10,000 to complete their bachelor鈥檚 degree at a UMass campus.

For Wartman, who had exhausted his lifetime allotment of Pell Grants, the scholarship was a 鈥済ame changer.鈥�

鈥淲ithout that scholarship, I'm probably not in school,鈥� says Wartman, who transferred to UML鈥檚 College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and chose concentrations in theatre arts and economics.听

鈥淚t鈥檚 two different world views, really,鈥� he says. 鈥淭heater is so interpretive and subjective, and economics is on the other end of the spectrum 鈥� show me the data and the models.鈥�

How does life as a college student in 2025 compare with 1985?

鈥淏ack then, everything was pen and paper; now, there鈥檚 Blackboard. Classes are more rigorous because professors can assign and grade more work efficiently,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 also more collaborative learning with a lot more group projects. And research is easier now because you have access to innumerable databases, whereas before you had to go to the library.鈥�

Wartman lives in Lowell and likes to spend his time between classes studying at the McGauvran Center on South Campus. He has also picked up a pair of work study jobs 鈥� one putting his acting skills to use playing the role of patient for nursing students in the Donna Manning Simulation Laboratories, and the other utilizing his construction skills in the Theatre Arts Department鈥檚 set shop.

Next on his horizon: a summer study abroad trip to C谩diz, Spain.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a bucket list thing for me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 never thought in a million years I鈥檇 get to do something like that.鈥�

Wartman will be the oldest student on the trip, and he鈥檚 perfectly fine with that.

鈥淚 like to think I add something to the mix, but my younger classmates teach me just as much 鈥� especially about not taking myself too seriously,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think older folks, me in particular, need to have everything squared away and be 鈥榬ight鈥� all the time, and younger students are a little more relaxed about that. You鈥檙e allowed to have your own particular take on things.鈥�