DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Second chances were on full display Friday at Danville Area Community College.
Wilburn Carr III transitioned from incarceration to celebrating on stage. Known as ‘Chef Will,’ he proudly graduated with a diploma from DACC at the age of 69 during the commencement ceremony on Friday night.
“It’s never too late, you know, I had people who believed in me,” Carr said.
After serving a seven-year sentence in a Chicago prison until 2019, Carr reignited his interest in the culinary field. On Friday, he successfully completed his studies and received his diploma.
“They kept persuading me, I said ‘Well, let me try it,'” Carr said. “‘I’ve nothing else to lose.'”
After battling his own trials and tribulations Carr said it’s never too late to find your calling.
“I did everything I was supposed to do, and I made it through,” he said.
During his time in prison, Carr reignited his love for cooking, leading him to enroll at Danville Area Community College. He began pursuing his culinary arts degree a year and a half ago, culminating in his recent graduation.
“I never, ever in three semesters turned in a homework assignment by pushing send. I wrote it out, old school, because when I went to school we didn’t have computers,” Carr said. “One class I had, I turned in 13 pages, handwritten notes.”
And Friday, after posting a 4.0 GPA, he walked the stage at 69-years old. Proof that unlike items in the kitchen, dreams have no expiration date.
“Don’t let your past life determine what your future is going to be,” Carr said. “That’s unacceptable to me now.”
Carr said he’s planning on starting his own business doing small-time catering moving forward.
