Eryka W. Jackson | The Brand Ambassador

My Experience in Undergrad at Age 35

When I walked back onto a college campus at 35, I wasn’t chasing youth—I was chasing purpose. The summer air of 2024 hung thick with new beginnings, and I could feel one unfolding for me.

It had been years since I sat behind a desk with a professor’s voice humming in the background. In that time, I’d built a life—worked jobs, paid bills, and learned lessons that never came with a syllabus. I had already started my own LLC, carving out space in the world with what I knew, what I loved, and what I was still learning to believe in.

But I wanted more. Not just for myself, but for others who looked like me, dreamed like me, and needed a door held open long enough to walk through. So, I came back. I enrolled as a Public Relations major with a vision far bigger than press releases and campaigns. I aspire to build a firm that creates access, tells powerful stories, and gives others the platform they deserve.

Looking back at that decision now, I’m in awe and a little disbelief. Because it wasn’t easy, but I really did it.

A few hurdles I crossed along the way were:

Challenge 1: Learning to Belong Again

The first time I sat in class surrounded by twenty-somethings fresh out of high school, I felt like a guest at someone else’s party. They spoke a language of hashtags and campus gossip. I spoke the language of experience, of bills, of mornings that start with coffee and intention.

But belonging isn’t always about blending in—it’s about showing up as you are. Once I stopped shrinking, I realized I had something they didn’t yet have: perspective. I became the one people came to for advice, collaboration, connection. We learned from each other, and in that exchange, I found community.

Challenge 2: Balancing Life and Learning

At 30+, school doesn’t exist in a bubble. You still have responsibilities tugging at your sleeve—deadlines, clients, family, real life waiting after every class.

There were nights I sat at my desk after a long day, trying to read chapters through tired eyes. Some days, balance meant letting a few things slide. But I learned to give myself grace. I learned that success at this stage of life isn’t about doing everything perfectly—it’s about doing what matters with heart.

Challenge 3: The Voice of Doubt

There were moments when I questioned if I’d waited too long, if my dreams had aged out of their season. The world moves fast, and it’s easy to feel behind.

But every class, every conversation, every step forward whispered the same truth: I wasn’t late. I was right on time. The woman I am now could handle this journey in ways my younger self never could have. And that realization alone made the hard days worth it.

It’s All Worth It

Now, standing just four months from graduation, I feel a quiet kind of pride. Not just because I came back, but because I stayed. Because I proved to myself that reinvention doesn’t have an age limit.

If there’s anything I’ve learned at half past thirty, it’s this: it’s never too late to begin again. To grow. To dream bigger. To take what you’ve built and elevate it to something that opens doors for others.

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to be brave enough to start.

I Am Eryka.

Published Author. Creative Strategist. Branding Extraordinaire.