07/27/2026
On 9 May 2025, Rafael Aguirre walked across the stage at Amarillo College wearing a blue cap and gown.
The graduates on either side of him were teenagers. He was 83.
A student photographer named Lily Gamble took his photo that day. It was seen by over 7 million people within a week.
Aguirre was born in Chihuahua, Mexico. He immigrated to Texas decades ago, settled in the Panhandle, and spent his life working eight to ten hour days at a meat plant and a second job installing satellite dishes for Dish Network. When his sister died, he raised her children.
He earned his first degree from Amarillo College in 1995. An associate degree in mechanical engineering technology. He didn't stop. Over the next 30 years he kept going back, picking up seven or eight more certifications along the way. The one he was graduating from that day was in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.
His instructor, Joseph Kautchick, said he was always the first to class and often the last to leave.
"It wasn't easy," Aguirre told Univision. "I worked eight to ten hours a day and took classes in a second language. But I had clear goals. It's never too late to learn."
He told reporters he wants to go back to school again. One more degree. This time in photography đź’›
