# @ucsantabarbara on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DZainFdlKXS
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66619010-ucsantabarbara-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/dd98601456.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-06-10T18:02:34.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** UC Santa Barbara (@ucsantabarbara) — https://gondola.cc/ucsantabarbara

## Caption

This week, 80-year-old Alex S. Fabros Jr. becomes the oldest Ph.D. recipient in #UCSB history 🎓🎉 

Flash back 25 years: He was on track to earn a Ph.D. in history after a storied life of working as a farm laborer, a highly trained sergeant in the military, and a student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey studying computers. By the late '90s, he was a favorite mentor among Asian-American studies students at UCSB, captivating them with stories from his soldiering days during the Vietnam War, though his time there had led to what was then known as "shellshock." 

And then there were his office hours, held aboard the 40-foot sailboat he called home. One day on a sailing trip, Fabros’s laptop—the sole repository of years of doctoral data—slid off his desk and never worked again. 

Now, two decades later, he's graduating from ucsb_graduate_division. To fellow graduates he would say, "You have done something difficult—now do something meaningful with it." 

Full story at link in bio. 

#UCSB2026 #NonTraditionalStudent #Commencement 

Image descriptions: 
1. Alex S. Fabros Jr. in a dark suit sitting on a bench in a sunny park with green trees.
2. Three soldiers in camouflage uniforms sitting against a white wall.
3. Family portrait featuring Alex S. Fabros Jr.  in military uniform.
4. Group of six people gathered in a kitchen behind a counter filled with various dishes.
5. Alex S. Fabros Jr. wearing an orange jacket and blue life vest steering a sailboat.

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 3,212
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 19

## Tags

ucsb, commencement, ucsb2026, nontraditionalstudent

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