Tom Hanks recently wrote an article for the New York Times about his time spent at Chabot College, a community college in California. According to the Huffington Post, he credited it as the "place [that] made me what I am today."

In his article, he mentions how diverse Chabot College was, stating , "Classmates included veterans back from Vietnam, women of every marital and maternal status returning to school, middle-aged men wanting to improve their employment prospects and paychecks."

He also said that the two years he spent at Chabot College before transferring to a State University in Sacramento were "an invaluable head start."

In an interview with MTV, he stated similarly, "I was in junior college because it was my only option - if I didn't enroll right after high school I would have had no path to any future. Two years in junior college became the jumping-off point for everything that came later and I think this was the same for others."

Hanks' article comes at an opportune time, as he is currently endorsing President Obama's plan to offer free community college nationwide. He wrote, "President Obama hopes to make two years of free community college accessible for up to nine million Americans...

I'm guessing the new Congress will squawk at the $60 billion price tag, but I hope the idea sticks, because more veterans, from Iraq and Afghanistan this time, as well as another generation of mothers, single parents and workers who have been out of the job market, need lower obstacles between now and the next chapter of their lives."

He continued, "High school graduates without the finances for a higher education can postpone taking on big loans and maybe luck into the class that will redefine their life's work. Many lives will be changed."