Fame and Fortune after a Two-Year Degree

If you’ve been near the internet recently, then you may have heard about actor Tom Hanks thanking his community college experience for his many accomplishments. In honor of Mr. Hanks, we at M State Wadena thought we would compile a list of other famous individuals that started from a community college.

1. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks attended Chabot College in Hayward, California after lousy SAT scores and minimal funds for tuition. From there, Hanks went on to star in over 50 movies, and he has received 4 Golden Globes and 2 Academy Awards.

2. Clint Eastwood
Eastwood is an accomplished actor, filmmaker, and composer. Eastwood almost entirely gave up acting when he went to Los Angeles City College to study business administration.

Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore

3. Sarah Palin
Before running for Vice President of the United States, Sarah Palin attended two community colleges; they were North Idaho College and Matanuska-Susitna College.

4. George Lucas
George Lucas is most known for his work for the Star Wars series. Before he became a director, Lucas went to Modesto Junior College to study anthropology.

5. Walter Elias Disney
Better known as Walt Disney, he attended Metropolitan Junior College, now known as Metropolitan Community College, in Missouri. Disney went on to create Technicolor cartoons and Walt Disney World -- just a fraction of the Disney empire that exists today.

6. Nolan D. Archibald
Nolan D. Archibald was once the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 company while at Black & Decker Corporation. Archibald attended Dixie Junior College, which is now known as Dixie State College of Utah.

Want to add to the list? Comment below with more famous individuals that came from a community college!