At 32, Stephanie Reyes isn’t your typical college sophomore and that’s exactly the point. After nearly a decade in the hotel industry, she traded late check-ins and room service calls for ancient texts and Italian verbs. Now, with a backpack slung over one shoulder and a growing passion for Philosophy, she’s proof that it’s never too late to change course and follow curiosity wherever it leads.
Reyes first went to college at 19, earning an associate degree in hotel management at Nassau Community College. The choice, she admits, was more practical than passionate.
“I wanted something stable,” she says. “Everyone kept telling me hospitality was the way to go; good money, good travel perks. But I realized pretty quickly that I didn’t love it.”
Still, she stuck with it. For ten years, she worked front desk jobs at hotels across New York City, managing reservations, opening brand new hotels, training new staff, and handling rude customers. On paper, she was successful. Inside though, something was missing.
“I began to read beginner books on philosophy whenever I had time,” Reyes says with a laugh. “Stuff about ethics, Vita Nuova, ancient Rome. I think I just craved meaning, more than I could find in continental breakfasts and customer satisfaction surveys.”
The turning point came during the pandemic when she, like many others, found herself with more time and fewer distractions. While furloughed, she began taking free online courses in philosophy and Italian. The language she says was a gateway to culture and history; the philosophy, a tool for thinking deeply about life.
“It was like waking up,” Reyes recalls. “I realized I didn’t want to just make a living, I wanted to understand life itself.”
Now in her seventh semester as a full-time undergraduate at Hunter College, she’s pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Italian. Her days are filled with readings of Aristotle and Descartes and long hours mastering Italian grammar. While some classmates are a decade younger, Reyes finds her age an advantage.
“I’ve lived a little,” she says. “When we talk about ethics or purpose, I can draw on real-life experiences. I think that perspective adds something valuable.”
Reyes is part of a growing trend. After years of decline, the number of students earning philosophy bachelor’s degrees in the U.S. has stabilized and even increased slightly in recent years. Enrollment in philosophy majors has risen in recent years, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics, cited in a report on SchwitzSplinters, a blog by philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel. UC Berkeley saw a 121% increase in humanities majors, Forbes reported in 2022.
Reyes long-term goal? Possibly graduate school. Maybe a career in teaching or translation. She dreams of living in Italy one day, teaching English and immersing herself in philosophical texts at old cafés, surrounded by books, espresso, and the Italian countryside.
But for now, she’s content just learning.
“Sometimes people look at me like I’m starting over,” she says. “But I’m not. I’m starting right.”
