51视频

05/19/2025
By Ed Brennen

At 83 years old, John Doherty is proof that it鈥檚 never too late in life to earn a college degree. And at just 18, twins Franzi and Edward Hoene are proof that it鈥檚 never too early.

Together, they were the chronological bookends to 51视频鈥檚 Class of 2025 鈥� its oldest and youngest graduates.

Their graduating class included 4,447 students from 42 states and 98 countries. No matter where they were from or when they were born, the Class of 2025 was united by determination and a desire to grow.

Here鈥檚 a closer look at the paths that Doherty and the Hoenes took to Commencement.

鈥楳aybe I Need a New Challenge鈥�

When it was time to write his first paper for 鈥淣ative Americans of the Northeast Woodlands,鈥� his first course en route to a master鈥檚 degree in history, John Doherty sat down at his typewriter and click-clacked away.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 this?鈥� his professor, Department Chair Christoph Strobel, asked when Doherty turned in his typed work.

鈥淚t鈥檚 my paper,鈥� Doherty replied.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 do that,鈥� Strobel said. 鈥淲e use email or a thumb drive.鈥�

鈥淲hat鈥檚 a thumb drive?鈥� Doherty asked.

Considering he was 80 years old at the time, Doherty could be forgiven for not being up to date on the latest academic technology. He hadn鈥檛 taken a class since 1971, when he earned a law degree from Boston College. After a 50-year academic hiatus, Doherty decided to go back to school at 51视频.

鈥淲hen I was coming up on 80, I thought, 鈥楪eez, maybe I need a new challenge,鈥欌�� says Doherty, a lifelong resident of Andover, Massachusetts, who majored in Latin and Greek at Harvard College (Class of 1963) and earned his first master鈥檚 at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the U.S. Army.

While languages were his first love, history was a close second. He reached out to 鈥渁 whole slew鈥� of programs and found UML to be a good fit: close to home with a strong history department and youthful faculty.

鈥淎lthough compared to me, everybody鈥檚 youthful,鈥� Doherty grins.

He emailed Distinguished University Professor Robert Forrant about enrolling in the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (FAHSS). Forrant encouraged him to apply, but there was one problem: Doherty鈥檚 academic transcripts had been lost to the dustbin of time. Instead, he submitted photocopies of his three diplomas, which the university accepted.

鈥淭he school was very accommodating,鈥� says Doherty, who embarked on a three-year academic journey, one class per semester, entirely in person.听

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 going to do anything online,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 used to love classroom work, and I missed that experience.鈥�

Many of his courses were a mix of undergraduate and graduate students 鈥� most of whom were young enough to be his grandchildren. Doherty had a line ready whenever a classmate asked about his age.

鈥�'Hey, be nice 鈥� I used to date your grandmother. We might be related,'鈥� he鈥檇 say. 鈥淭hey thought that was great.鈥�

Doherty lived the history that鈥檚 found in textbooks. He served as a U.S. Army captain in Vietnam, where he earned the Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts. Back home, he served as a Massachusetts assistant attorney general and assistant U.S. attorney. He practiced private law for 14 years before serving as director of veterans services in Andover for nine years, until his retirement in 2007.

All that experience didn鈥檛 prepare him for the culture shock of the modern classroom, however.

鈥淭he first course I took, in comes a girl wearing bunny slippers and pajamas,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淣eedless to say, when I started at Harvard in 1959, that would have got you thrown not only off campus, but out of school.鈥�

鈥淏ut of all the academic experiences I鈥檝e had, this was the most fun,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭he students were great, and the faculty was very helpful.鈥�

Doherty鈥檚 cheering section at Commencement included his wife, Denise, his daughter, Margaret, his 1-year-old granddaughter and his son-in-law. Now that he鈥檚 donned the cap and gown again (鈥淚 look like a deranged penguin鈥�), Doherty鈥檚 already eyeing his next academic pursuit.

鈥淢aybe an MBA, but we鈥檒l see. I鈥檝e had some health setbacks, so I have to be realistic,鈥� says Doherty, a three-time cancer survivor. 鈥淕oing back to school was a lot of work, but I can鈥檛 tell you how much fun I鈥檝e had the past three years.鈥�

Doherty is a testament to the power of lifelong learning.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no reason to shut down your gray matter, no matter your age,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you're interested and willing to put the time in, do it.鈥�

鈥業 Found Myself as a Person鈥�

At an age when most of their peers are finishing high school, 18-year-old twins Franzi and Edward Hoene have graduated with honors from 51视频 and are looking ahead to graduate school.

鈥淚t's an interesting feeling,鈥� says Edward, who majored in civil engineering and will continue at UML in the fall for his master鈥檚 degree. 鈥淏ut I really don鈥檛 know how to feel, because I haven't seen it from the other perspective.鈥�

The Hoenes, who are from Woburn, Massachusetts, took an unconventional academic path that started in middle school. During the pandemic, around the age of 13, both began taking community college classes at Northern Essex and Middlesex community colleges through the Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership.听

They enrolled full-time at 51视频 when they were just 16 鈥� following in the River Hawk flight path of their two older siblings, computer engineering alum Hans Hoene 鈥�18, 鈥�19 and mechanical engineering alum Henning Hoene 鈥�21, 鈥�22, 鈥�24.

鈥淚 had a lot of fun and made a lot of new friends at 51视频. I found myself as a person,鈥� says Franzi, who majored in biomedical engineering and is already on her way to a master鈥檚 degree through the bachelor鈥檚-to-master鈥檚 program.听

Starting college at 16 didn鈥檛 seem unusual to the Hoenes.

鈥淚鈥檇 already started community college when I was 13, so I was more used to that environment than I was going to middle school or high school,鈥� Edward says.

鈥淭he age difference wasn't something I noticed,鈥� Franzi adds. 鈥淎nd it's something that my friends often forget. My best friend, who鈥檚 now 20, forgets that I was 16 when she met me.鈥�

Edward, who hopes to become a transportation engineer, worked as a research assistant with Civil Engineering Professor Yuanchang Xie. He used thermal imaging along with an artificial intelligence model to capture pedestrians, bikes, scooters and cars.

鈥淚t was a great experience. We built simulation models from scratch, and I liked being able to see the real-world impact of our work,鈥� says Edward, who was also a member of the Concrete Canoe team.

Franzi also embraced extracurriculars at UML: She was a member of the Women's Club Soccer team and several intramural teams, and also discovered a love of surfing after taking part in a trip with the Outdoor Adventure Program.

鈥淢y classes were fun and I learned a lot of great things, but I was more focused on the social part鈥� of college, she says. 鈥淚 was able to build relationships with people from all over the country.鈥�

Their parents, Penny and Bernd, and siblings cheered them on at Commencement. It was a big day, but the twins had unique perspectives on being the youngest members of the Class of 2025.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean I get to retire earlier,鈥� Edward said.

Franzi added with a grin, 鈥淚鈥檒l look back one day and say, 鈥業 used to be smart once!鈥欌��