For Juan Luevano, an education is priceless – even if it takes two decades to complete a degree.

Luevano advises all young men and women to attend college straight out of high school.

“Do not take for granted this time in your lives because time flies by faster than you can imagine,” he said. “Make the most of your college experience now and do not waste all of the years that I did.”

Luevano, who was born in Lockney, Texas, graduated from high school in 1992. He first started attending Park University in 2011.

“I am originally from Texas but my family relocated to Kansas City, Mo., so I came to live close to them,” he said.

Earning a degree is important for him because it is to honor his late sister, he said.

“The reason I came back to school is because my younger sister passed away,” Luevano said. “I made a promise to her that I will do anything in my life she can no longer do.”

Lack of higher education is another reason he seeks a degree at Park. After nearly two decades in workforce, he said he learned that education is the key for success in competitive market.  Currently, he is pursuing a double major in computer science and software engineering and networking. He will graduate in May 2014.

During his graduation from high school in 1992, he says he found a job, bought a house and lived a comfortable life. He held his job for eight years before he looked for another job. In those years, he was not planning to go to college, he said.

“College was not even a thought for me,” Luevano said.

In 2000, he left Lockney, Texas, and moved to Wichita, Kan. After his arrival in Wichita, he started looking for job with no luck. For the next four years, he struggled to find work.

Luevano said he believes competing for fewer jobs with more educated competitors limited his chance to find a job. He said the time between 2001 and 2005 was the most difficult in his life because he moved from one temporary job to another until he became an independent contractor.

He worked as a contractor for five years but his contract ended in August 2010. A year later, Luevano came to Park University to pursue his bachelor’s degree.

“While I was a contractor, my income was great but I had to work outdoors in cold winter and hot summer,” he said.

After two decades, Luevano said he realizes that going back to college is the best choice.

“Looking back now, I wish I would have gone to college right after high school,” he said.

Luevano said he understands education is a backbone for success because it lifts up millions of Americans out of poverty. Because of this, he said it is not late for him to get a degree and academic success “unlocks doors.”

“I know life would not have been easy because I went to college but it could have possibly been better,” he said.