48-year-old Dallas man overcomes language barrier, graduates with electrical engineering degree
DALLAS - A Dallas man is showing his daughters that anything is possible.
The husband and father of five overcame a language barrier and worked full-time while attending college.
Among a crowd of UT Dallas graduates on Monday stood a proud Jean Tchinda. At 48 years old, he's more than twice the average graduate age.
But on graduation day, Jean says he feels as giddy as a schoolboy.
"I feel like a new page in my life is open right now," he said.
The college graduation is the cap of an impressive journey filled with lots of hard work and sacrifice.
Jean moved his family from Cameroon to Texas five years ago. The French native didn't know any English when he first enrolled in college.
After four years of working night shifts full-time while going to school during the day full-time, Jean has earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. His wife, daughters and extended family were there to celebrate him.
"After long hours of working, he finally made it," said daughter Ismaelle Tchinda. "I'm really proud of him."
"You have to start in the beginning to learn English to be able to do everything, so it's not easy for him," said his wife, Blandine Tchinda. "I'm so, so happy for him. He did a good job."
One important person missing from this moment is Jean's oldest daughter, Andrea Tchinda. She has a good reason. She's taking a final exam at Harvard, where she just finished her first semester.
FOX 4 interviewed Andrea back in May when she was graduating from Hillcrest High School as valedictorian. Andrea facetimed her dad after the ceremony.
"I was running to log into my phone, and I just saw him walking," she said. "And I just screamed in my door. I was just so happy."
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Whether she's walking the halls at Hillcrest High School in Dallas, or catching up with the other athletes on the basketball court, Andrea Tchinda exudes star quality.
Hard work and ambition clearly run in the family.
"I am happy. So, so happy. It was difficult, but today I'm done," Jean said. "My goal is to get something better and that can help me to take care of my family."
Andrea is boarding a flight from Boston to Dallas to spend the holiday season with her family.