Typically, Bakersfield College students on campus are in the age range of 19 to 24 years old. Then there’s the exception of the older student. Statistics show the largest percentage of older students range between 40 to 49 years old, according to a BC college report provided by Lisa Fitzgerald of the Institutional Research and Learning office.

Learnell King, 55, has been a BC student for 3 1/2 years and is going for a degree in Administrative Justice. She had begun college after raising her children.

After going through a court case and having it dismissed, King gained inspiration to go to college so she could learn to better express herself if put in that type of a situation again.

“They say trial and error makes a better person of you if you have the knowledge behind you,” she said.

King will also be receiving a Certificate of Completion in Business Communication, which is a new certificate program that started this semester. Any student who completes 12 units of Communication classes will receive a certificate in the new program.

Jake Davis, 46, culinary arts major, began attending BC to better his chances for a prosperous future. Davis plans to own his own business someday.

“I came back to school to further my education,” Davis said. “I wanted to come to cook, to be a chef.”

Davis said working too much in the past is what kept him from attending college before now. He attends college full time and works two jobs on campus to help him in furthering his education.

Carol Dill, 45, majoring in human services, is close to receiving her AA degree. She had a serious drug habit in the past and feels God has gotten her in a better place.

“Where my life changed, was because of God,” Dill said.

Dill said that when she was on drugs, she felt students and anyone with power was a threat to her, like she didn’t measure up to them. Now, after going to college and communicating well with her professors, Dill said she feels better about herself.

Dill wants to help people in the community, especially children, who are having problems with drugs, and in the future, would like to become a substance-abuse counselor.

Annette Phillips, 46, had also been on drugs in the past. She decided to go back to school, after seeing that she wasn’t setting a very good example for her daughter.

“My husband was an alcoholic, I was on drugs and it was like, ‘Who’s raising my daughter?’ ” she said.

She decided to improve her options by going to college and is now working toward a degree in psychology.

Phillips said going back to school herself has inspired her daughter to better her own future. She is now a cosmetologist.

Phillips hopes to possibly get a job at the Delano prison, working to help others as well. She said she hopes to help people who take too many anti-depressant drugs. She feels some are over-medicated.

The percentage of students 50 years and older, drops down below half of the percentage of students attending who are 40 to 49 years old, according to the BC report. Also, the largest majority of students attending are enrolled in less than six units a semester.