Monday, May 12, 2025
Never too late: Altoona man turns life around, will graduate from CVTC
Anthony Liptow admits he “couldn’t be told anything” for a stint when he was younger. He was bound and determined to do it his way.
After moving around a bit, at the end of his high school career, he was told he was just shy of enough credits to graduate. That didn’t sit well with him.
“At that time, I was really rebellious. I was like, ‘You know what? I’m just going to drop out,’” Liptow said. “I ended up going to work and getting married at age 18.”
That relationship didn’t last. Liptow said he was depressed and found himself in the middle of a drug addiction while living in Kansas.
But he would not let his younger years define him.
“Those were some of the struggles I overcame to get to where I am now,” he said.
On Thursday, May 22, at age 39, Liptow will graduate from Chippewa Valley Technical College with an associate degree in Professional Communications with dreams of becoming a journalist.
None of it would have happened, Liptow said, without his current wife, his children, his brother’s guidance and Liptow’s will to get clean and sober.
Twelve years ago, his brother, a CVTC graduate, reached out and told Liptow to come to Eau Claire.
“He’s like, ‘I don’t want to see you die. You need to come up here,’ and I took him up on the offer,” Liptow said. “We moved up here on New Year’s Eve to start a new life. We quit hard drugs cold turkey, and we’ve been clean for 12 years.”
He worked as a cook at different restaurants and was a stay-at-home dad while his wife worked outside of the home. He also worked for FedEx, Walmart and drove for Uber. What he realized is that talking with people gave him the most joy.
The Altoona man said for years he had a recurring nightmare that he was in a classroom but never able to finish his education. When 2020 rolled around, and most people were struggling to get through classes because of the Covid pandemic, Liptow decided to take the leap.
“(The pandemic) was kind of a blessing in disguise,” he said. “I felt like I should have been able to graduate all those years ago.”
First, he received his High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED). He was marking things off his bucket list, and receiving his high school diploma was one of those items. Then, in 2023, he went back for more.
In 2023, he took his love for talking with people more seriously and enrolled in the Professional Communications program at CVTC.
This month, as he walks across the stage to receive his diploma, he knows he’s setting a good example for his children.
“My daughters are able to watch on, inspired by my journey,” he said. “It’s never too late to chase your dreams.”
