It can never be too late to pursue dreams and passion.

That’s what 65-year-old Donna Angers discovered when she began taking art classes at EC fewer than five years ago.

“I grew up in the small college town of New Brunswick, N.J., so all I’ve ever known was academic studies,” Angers said.

She spent most of her life working as a medical transcriber at various hospitals, but later found herself competing with younger colleagues and had to look for a new job in the end.

“I knew I had typing skills, but I wasn’t sure about why I was starting to lose jobs and what I was going to do,” Angers said.

She then met a woman at an alcohol rehabilitation center, who told her to think of what she had dreamed of being when she was in the twelfth grade.

“I suddenly I remembered that I had always wanted to be an artist,” Angers said.

But being 60-year-old, Angers said she could not see how this was possible because she thought she was too old.

“When she said they would send me to take art classes at EC, I nearly fell off my seat,” Angers said. “I was shocked and happy at the same time,” she said.

With a chance for a new beginning, Angers said she owes a great deal of thanks to several people who believed in her and inspired her along the way.

“One of my classmates, Jose, is responsible for me being able to paint my artwork at Universal Studios at a restaurant, where they have my paintings on display,” Angers said.

Nonetheless, Angers said once she invests so much time and completes a painting, it is very difficult to sell it, even though she could use the money.

“I get so attached to my paintings that it breaks my heart to sell them,” she said.

But with the money she has earned from selling her art, Angers said she has been able to make a much-needed purchase, which is related to her being an artist.

“I bought a Chrysler PT Cruiser, so now I have the space I need to carry my paintings around,” she said.

The biggest highlight for Angers, however, is not just being able to sell her work, but that she has been accepted to Otis College of Art and Design in the fall.

“I am so excited that they love my work and it looks as though they are eager to have me, so I have petitioned to graduate from EC this spring,” Angers said.

Angers said she has a website at www.donna90250.tripod.com., where she uploads her paintings onto.

“I am absolutely amazed to know that I am sixty-five years old now and by the time I am sixty-seven, I should have my bachelor’s degree from Otis College of Art,” Angers said.