DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Second chances were on full display Friday at Danville Area Community College.

Wilburn Carr III went from the big house to the big stage. ‘Chef Will’ as he’s called earned his diploma from DACC at 69-years young at Friday night’s commencement.

“It’s never too late, you know, I had people who believed in me,” Carr said.

Carr served time in prison in Chicago for seven years until 2019. Since getting out, he’s rediscovered his passion for the culinary arts, and on Friday, he graduated with a diploma in hand.

“They kept persuading me, I said ‘Well, let me try it,'” Carr said. “‘I’ve nothing else to lose.'”

After battling his own trials and tribulations Carr said it’s never too late to find your calling.

“I did everything I was supposed to do, and I made it through,” he said.

Carr spent time behind bars before rediscovering his passion for cooking at Danville Area Community College. He started seeking his degree in culinary arts a year and a half ago.

“I never, ever in three semesters turned in a homework assignment by pushing send. I wrote it out, old school, because when I went to school we didn’t have computers,” Carr said. “One class I had, I turned in 13 pages, handwritten notes.”

And Friday, after posting a 4.0 GPA, he walked the stage at 69-years old. Proof that unlike items in the kitchen, dreams have no expiration date.

“Don’t let your past life determine what your future is going to be,” Carr said. “That’s unacceptable to me now.”

Carr said he’s planning on starting his own business doing small-time catering moving forward.