Five decades after starting classes at City College in Harlem, Ciro Scala earned not one, but two degrees. “I wanted that diploma, I really want that piece of paper so badly,” said Scala. He received his bachelors of arts in political science and a masters degree in history. That didn’t come easy, this journey started back in 1959 when he lived on Staten Island.

“I took a bus, a ferry, a train to 137 and City College, that was after work,” he recalled. “After one year or two semesters, I just said I can’t do it,” Scala added. Instead, he focused on his career, launched a company with his wife, raised a daughter and traveled the world. His love for teaching never escaped him. That led him back to City College, where he encountered a new passion, his fellow classmates.