It's not too late, it's never too late

In 1970, Nick Axten started his PhD in mathematical sociology at the University of Pittsburgh. And if Three Days Grace had an inspiration for their hit song "Never Too Late," it must've been the 76-year-old British native.

A recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, Nick spent five years in Pittsburgh working towards his degree before returning home to the UK – without a diploma. 

• “Some problems are so great it takes the best part of a lifetime to get your head around them," reported Nick as to why he left school early. "They need a long, hard think." 

Key word here: long. Much like a sloth on its way to the dentist, Nick wasn't in too great of a rush to finish school. 

But just last week, something big happened to him *pause for effect* – following a fifty-year hiatus, the 76-year-old forever student graduated from the University of Bristol with a PhD in Philosophy.

👯‍♂️ It's not what you know... Dr. Nick Axten shared that one of his favorite parts of returning to school was getting to know the other students, most of whom were 50 years his junior. 

• "All of the other philosophy graduate students were around 23, but they accepted me as one of their own," he said in a university press release. "They are clever people full of ideas, and I loved talking with them – especially at the pub in the afternoon."

🌏 What's next?... Nick hopes his research has the potential to change our view of behavioral psychology. His graduate work revolved around a theory for understanding human behavior based on the values each person holds, and he hopes to publish it in the coming years. 

Thanks, Nick, for reminding us that it really is never too late to finish what we've started🫡.