You get the feeling after talking to Western Nevada College student Rich Tidrick that everyone on campus knows him. His friendly, outgoing personality — and his enthusiasm for learning — make him one of WNC’s most recognizable students.

After serving two decades in the U.S. Navy Seabees, where he helped build infrastructure and provide humanitarian support across the globe, Rich decided to return to school more than 30 years after graduating high school.

“I love being here,” he said. “Age is just a number. No one looks at how old you are — they see someone who wants to learn. It’s the best experience I’ve ever had, and I wish I’d done it sooner.”

Rich is pursuing a degree in Construction Project Management, a program that connects perfectly with his military background.

“Rich represents what’s best about Western Nevada College — the courage to begin again and the drive to keep learning,” said WNC President Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe. “His story shows that education truly has no age limit and that WNC is a place where every student, from every background, can find purpose and belonging. We appreciate our students, and are grateful to our veteran students like Rich for their service and continued contributions to our campus community.”

When he first enrolled, he wasn’t sure he’d succeed — but the support he received from professors, Disability and Support Services, and the Veterans Resource Center made all the difference.

"Rich is a great person," said WNC Construction Project Management Professor Nigel Harrison. "Since I teach one of WNC’s bachelor's degrees, I get to spend four years with these students. In these four years, I get to really know them and build friendships with them. Rich has been a true pleasure to have in class, and it will be bittersweet to see him graduate. He has taken his fellow construction students and veterans under his wing. We are all better, because of Rich!"

“They believed in some 50-year-old guy who hadn’t been to school in 30 years,” Rich said. “They pushed me, and that’s what I needed.”

Now, Rich shares his story to inspire other veterans and adult learners to take that same leap. “I tell them that at WNC, you can learn without being judged,” he said. “You can get a degree or a certificate — and find a new purpose in life.”

Prior to becoming a WNC student, Rich devoted much of his younger years to the military. He served in the United States Seabees, a Navy construction battalion that worked directly with the U.S. Marine Corps so it could compete missions. It often meant building roads, bridges, runways, housing (portable showers and outhouses included), hospital tents and more.

But there was a more appealing side to being a member of the Seabees: humanitarianism. The Seabees would rebuild the infrastructure in villages, making them safter. It meant rebuilding schools, stairs, walls and repairing wiring, and so much more.

“That’s what I joined the military for … to help people,” he said. “To make a situation better than it was before.”

For that reason, he remained in the military for two decades.

His one tour of duty came in 2003 in Iraq. Although he carried a gun, Rich never had to use it.

“That was a blessing for me. I was there to help people,” he said.

For Rich, returning to school isn’t just about earning a diploma — it’s about setting an example for his family and proving that it’s never too late to start again.

“When I graduate, it will be for myself,” he said. “But I also want to show my family that when you set a goal, you can achieve it.”

To learn more about WNC’s Construction and Construction Project Management programs, go to wnc.edu/areas/construction and contact Nigel Harrison at nigel.harrison@wnc.edu. Veterans can receive information about their education benefits by phoning the WNC’s Veterans Resource Center at 775-445-3301.