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Father and daughter graduate together from Boston University

BOSTON — Rory Kallfelz waited for 40 years to make the graduation walk at Boston University. A walk, he said, was well worth the wait.

“We took pictures together around the BU campus in our graduation garb and we decorated our mortarboards together. Sharing those experiences with me is really going to be something I treasure for the rest of my life,” Kallfelz commented.

On May 16th, the 57-year-old Easton dad graduated with his daughter, Ally.

“It felt amazing to be able to graduate alongside him and see him finish what he started all those years ago. To see him finally get his degree made me really proud,” Ally said.

Kallfelz first enrolled at BU 40 years ago, in the fall of 1981. He dropped out when a summer job became permanent. Then life happened.

He got married, had three children, and kept advancing to management positions in his healthcare career. But Kallfelz said he got the itch to return to school as Ally neared graduation. So, in the fall of 2019, he returned to campus to finish his degree.

“I think the first class was a little weird. I didn’t know what to expect. I still take notes in a notebook and everybody’s taking notes on a computer,” he said.

It may have taken 40 years to wear the BU cap and gown, but Rory Kallfelz proving it’s never too late.

Kallfelz graduated with a B.S. in Mathematics and Ally graduated with a B.S. in Journalism.