Since watching her older brother and sister graduate from Oregon State University at 20 years of age, Sarah Nelson has dreamed of being the youngest in her class to receive a diploma.

Today, at OSU’s 137th annual commencement ceremony, she’ll get her wish.

“That’s kind of been my goal all along,” said Nelson, 19.

She’s graduating summa cum laude, getting a degree in business administration with a marketing focus. Her minor is merchandising management.

Nelson is among an estimated 4,300 students receiving some 4,440 degrees. Although Nelson is technically the youngest graduate of the Class of 2006, Samuel Hess, an electrical engineering major graduating today, is also 19.

On the other end of the age continuum, Larry Bevens will be receiving his second bachelor’s degree at age 67.

Nelson grew up in Portland and was home-schooled. She got on the academic fast track when she began taking college-level courses at Clackamas Community College as a 13-year-old.

“Basically, I kind of treated community college like a high school. But at the end of the four years, I had a two-year transfer degree,” she said.

Nelson took music, Spanish and physical education classes, in addition to general education courses.

She transferred to OSU with junior standing when she was 17.

Nelson said most people assume she’s older than 19, and the only time she feels different from other seniors is when they go to bars and she’s not old enough to join them.

“Age is just a number,” she said, noting that it doesn’t determine levels of maturity or experience.

In addition to her business courses, Nelson takes at least one dance class per term, whether it be swing, ballroom, Latin, jazz or Lindy hop. She also enjoys science fiction and paintball.

Next fall, Nelson will begin a one-year master of business administration program at OSU.

“My friends like to tease me. I’m going to have my MBA before I’m 21,” she said.

After graduate school, Nelson plans to work for her family’s wedding videography business.

Like Nelson, Hess doesn’t feel like his age separates him from his classmates.

“I don’t think it’s much different than any other age,” he said.

Hess is originally from Madison, Wis., but his family moved to Junction City when he was 10. A year later, they relocated to Eugene.

Hess’ accelerated pace began at Churchill High School, where he accumulated college credits through the University of Oregon and Lane Community College.

He only slept three hours a night during these years, shuttling between Churchill High, LCC, UO and the Oregon Festival of American Music, where he played saxophone in the honors jazz band.

This is Hess’ second year at OSU. Like Nelson, he entered with junior standing.

Hess has always wanted to be an engineer. He was accepted into graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis and has an application pending at the University of Southern California.

Father’s Day grad

For Bevens, this summer marks both his college graduation and his 50th high school reunion.

In addition to commencement, today is Father’s Day. Bevens and his wife, Jan, have four kids and 12 grandchildren, so the family has a lot to celebrate.

He graduated from North Salem High School in 1956. He spent a year at OSU, then left to join the Marines.

After his military service, Bevens did computer programming and systems analysis for the state. He retired in 1992.

He spent the last 26 years of his career working for the Oregon Elections Division, where he tested and certified vote-tallying systems.

“It’s always been in the back of my mind that I wanted to finish (college),” Bevens said.

He earned his first bachelor’s degree in economics from OSU in 2000. Today, he’s getting a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Bevens said he enjoyed taking classes with younger students and hopes they learned from him as he did from them.

“I tried not to be nostalgic or anecdotal too much. I would simply give them my perspective when it was open dialogue or open forum in the classroom. My perspectives are from a different time and place,” he said, acknowledging that his presence might have been a bit like “having Grandpa in the classroom.”

Bevens plans to take the next year off from school, although he’s not ruling out returning for a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

He’s looking forward to spending more time with his grandchildren, traveling and playing golf.

As today’s graduates prepare to leave college and enter the “real world,” Bevens thinks it’s a less nerve-wracking experience for him as a retiree.

“You see all the kids filled with expectation and a current of trepidation or fear of what’s coming, because college has been their protective family during these four years. This is their last big moment before moving out into the world. I’ve been there, done that, half a century ago,” he said.

Nevertheless, he’s looking forward to receiving his diploma with the Class of 2006.

“You can see a world of potential in (the graduates), and there’s a certain self-satisfaction in being a part of that,” Bevens said.

Mary Ann Albright covers higher education. She can be reached at 758-9518 or maryann.albright@lee.net.