CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — For more than 30 years, Wanda and Tony Reynolds have done nearly everything in life side by side. The Chesterfield couple just finished a nearly 10-year journey together that not many couples would take on at 65 and 58 years old.
Wanda, the youngest of 15 siblings, always wanted to go to college but it wasn't financially feasible.
"Once I became a mom, that was my first priority, was to make sure that I raised the boys, but then that itch was always still there," Wanda said.
Tony attended VCU for three years on a wrestling scholarship until the program was cut.
"When they dropped, that was it for me. I went into the workforce after that," Tony Reynolds said.
But in 2015, Tony decided to gift Wanda classes at John Tyler, now Brightpoint, for Christmas.
"While I was enrolling her, it was like I can't let her grow and I don't grow too, so I enrolled myself with the same classes," he said.
The pair took a few classes each semester while working full time, and in 2020 they graduated with their associate degrees.
"I thought it was over until she said that she wants to continue to go to a university and get her bachelor's degree, so I said, well, I tell you what, I would take that journey with you under one condition: we go back to the school I quit 40 years ago, which was VCU," he said.
And that's exactly what they did. For the past six years, the Reynolds worked and studied, majoring in psychology at VCU.
"It was hard, but because we had each other pushing each other, you know, we were able to do it. We always competed to see who would get the highest GPA," Wanda said.
The Reynolds didn't let their ages discourage them.
"We're the oldest in every class, including our professors. We were older than them," the couple said.
Last month, they walked across the stage at the Siegel Center hand in hand to get their diplomas — to a standing ovation.
"The person calling the names, actually had to stop for about a minute or so, because of all the cheers. It was, it was pretty nice," Tony said.
Their story caught the attention of VCU's president, who shared it on social media.
"It's never too late, whether it's education, whether it's you want to find your person, or whatever it is that you want to do, it's never too late," Wanda said.
The Reynolds chose psychology because they recently started their own private counseling service where they work with couples and share the lessons they've learned together.
The pair wants to take a year off to breathe, but Wanda has dreams of getting her master's and doctorate — and Tony says if that's what she decides, he will be enrolling too.
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