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Billie Jean King Spills on The Surprising Way She’s Earning College Credit in Her 80s

The tennis legend announced in March that she had gone back to school to finish her long-deferred college degree.

Tennis legend Billie Jean King has revealed the unexpected way she’s earning credits toward a bachelor of arts degree in history at California State University, Los Angeles. King, 81, announced in March that she was going back to college more than 60 years after she quit school to go pro and enrolled in the same major as back in the 1960s. The Title IX trailblazer also runs a New York-based business and foundation promoting education, leadership, and activism, meaning she and her professors have gotten creative with her course requirements. In addition to taking classes remotely, she’s earning course credit by speaking to inmate students enrolled in Cal State L.A.’s Prison Graduation Initiative. “They have made a commitment to improving their lives through education,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “Getting their degree will be life-changing for them.” King will enroll in classes this fall as a senior and is on track to graduate in the spring.