He may be a successful Hollywood actor, but until recently ‘Marky Mark’ hadn’t even finished High School.
Wahlberg dropped out of school in year nine, opting instead for drugs and petty crime. After a stint in prison, he was lucky to ride on his brother’s fame and score a recording contract, thus getting back on the ‘straight and narrow’.
As a household name, the father of four couldn’t exactly walk into any old campus. He was saved from embarrassment by finishing his schooling online.
For almost a year, Wahlberg has been studying in his own time, reporting the experience to be both “humbling and challenging”. At 42 years old he has finally graduated.
He claims to be “lucky” to have enjoyed success despite his drop-out status, and through his charity, The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, he has partnered with like-minded youth organisations to empower teens to commit to finishing their education:
“Every day, 7,000 students drop out of high school – more than 1.2 million a year. More than 40 million adults nationwide lack a high school diploma….[our] program empowers teens to make a personal commitment to graduate high school while providing the tools, support and community that high school students need to stay on track – resources I wish I had access to as a teen.”
Aaw! Isn’t that sweet? Congratulations Marky Mark! Better late than never hey?
