A homeless man has been given a second chance to finish his college degree, more than four decades after dropping out, thanks to the help of a local student. David Carter had been a student at the University of Texas at Austin studying studio art but dropped out in 1971 at the age of 23 after an accident injured his hand. Now, with the help of a current UT student, Ryan Chandler, Carter has re-enrolled with a hope to achieve his dream of becoming an artist or writer.
… Chandler first met Carter while interviewing him for an assignment on homelessness. He learned that Carter had left college after he damaged his hand punching a glass window while intoxicated. Carter was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and spent several years without a permanent home. Carter had accumulated 87 hours, very close to a degree, and always wanted to go back, but hasn’t had the financial or organizational means to do so. Chandler, who works in the admissions office, helped Carter re-apply to UT’s College of Fine Arts.