Graduating at 68 — and Starting Again

By Anne Denogean, Marketing, Communications and Strategic Outreach

At 68, Margarita isn’t slowing down. She’s starting again.

A member of Pima Community College’s 2026 graduating class, Margarita returned to school not out of necessity, but out of love. Love for dentistry, the career she once practiced in Mexico, and the calling she wasn’t ready to leave behind.

In Pima’s Dental Assistant program, she found more than a path back into the field. She found energy, connection and joy. Surrounded by classmates decades younger, Margarita didn’t feel out of place. She felt alive. Laughing, learning and proudly embracing her role as the “abuelita” of the group, she discovered that passion doesn’t fade with age. It deepens.

Her story is more than a return to dentistry. It’s a reminder that reinvention has no expiration date, and that sometimes the most meaningful new beginnings come later than expected.