Randy Marker with his grandson Oliver Yetman and their recitation teaching assistant Zimeng Guo at the end of 2025’s fall semester. Credit: Courtesy of Oliver Yetman
Though most grandparents might joke or reminisce about the time they spent in college classes, this duo are making their memories side by side.
Last semester, Randy Marker and his grandson, Oliver Yetman, were in the same Math 1150 course at Ohio State.
The grandfather and grandson are in two different programs, one for high school seniors to earn college credit and another for people over the age of 60 to take college classes for free. This academic anomaly became a shared learning experience about more than just equations — but about curiosity, family and connection.
Marker is an Ohio State alum who graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. For most of his career, he worked at his father’s company, Marker Construction, where he went on to become the president and CEO until his daughter took over in 2019.
Though Marker remained involved in the company and active in other business interests, he said he began to think about other opportunities to continue his learning.
Marker learned about Program 60 from a friend who participated in the program, he said. Program 60 is an Ohio State initiative that allows Ohio residents over the age of 60 to take college courses tuition-free, according to the program’s webpage.
“I really thought at this stage in my life there might be some value in taking what I would consider perhaps somewhat of a difficult course,” Marker said. “Where you have to really use your mind to solve problems in a very different way than our day to day lives.”
As Marker considered enrolling in the program, he said he made a surprising discovery while speaking with his grandson, Yetman.
Yetman is currently a senior at Whetstone High School in Clintonville, a short drive north of Ohio State’s campus. He is part of the Columbus City Schools advising program, “Seniors to Sophomores,” which aims to graduate high school seniors as college sophomores through the College Credit Plus program, according to its website.
While Yetman was sharing his upcoming classes for Autumn semester, Marker mentioned that he also was looking into math courses through Program 60.
“[Yetman] reached out and asked if I’d be interested in taking that same class,” Marker said. “I reached back to him, because I wondered, ‘was he serious about this?’ Because I could do it. And I learned that he was serious, that he was okay with being in a classroom with his granddad.”
Soon enough, Yetman and Marker enrolled in the same Math 1150 class. Each faced unique challenges as the semester began.
Marker laughed as he recalled his first day.
“I thought the instructor would be up on the board with a piece of chalk solving problems,” he said. “And I looked around and everybody in front of me all had laptops.”
He said he quickly acclimated to using online course resources and found them incredibly valuable.
“You know, 50 years ago, of course, we didn’t have that. To have those resources available to go back and look at prior lectures or notes from the teacher,” Marker said. “It’s just a wonderful resource. And quite frankly, I think it made it easier to learn.”
Zimeng Guo, the teaching assistant for the pair’s mathematics course, said Marker was an attentive student.
“[Marker] sits in my class, listens intently, and engages with me after every session,” Guo said. “Seeing that level of effort and humility from someone in his position is deeply moving.”
As an international student, Guo said she has been anxious about her ability to articulate complex concepts because English is her second language. Marker was able to curb that nervousness when he asked to give her feedback.
“I’ll admit, I was a little nervous and thought he was going to critique my teaching methods,” Guo said. “Instead, he told me, ‘You’re doing a great job. You have a way of using clever phrasing and tips to make these complex points easy to understand.’ That meant the world to me.”
Yetman said he also felt some initial stress. As a high school student enrolled in a college course, he said he felt added pressure to succeed. Advisors had recommended he take the course in high school due to the challenges of learning in a large lecture setting.
“At first, you’re a little stressed about the academics, then you’re nervous about the imposter syndrome in a way, like you feel a little bit out of place,” Yetman said. “But as time [goes] on, you realize, ‘okay, I can do this coursework.’”
Guo said she admires Yetman because he was able to succeed while having a busy schedule.
“[Yetman’s] balancing high school, college applications and competitive sports, all while sitting in a university-level math course,” Guo said. “His ability to stay flexible and sharp despite such a heavy workload is really impressive.”
Yetman said he and his grandfather regularly talked and worked on assignments together in class. As the course progressed, Yetman said he developed a deeper appreciation for the subject.
“You feel a sense of reward,” Yetman said. “I think there’s a lot to admire about just working hard and really understanding something.”
For both Marker and Yetman, the course went beyond academics.
Marker said as part of a large family, opportunities to spend one-on-one time with his grandchildren don’t come often. However, as classmates, the two were able to talk frequently, discussing everything from business and finance to simply being human.
“The discussions that we had were genuinely thoughtful discussions,” Marker said. “It was an uber-rich experience, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”
Yetman expresses the same sentiment as his grandfather.
“It was almost more valuable to, share that time with him than it was to just take the course,” Yetman said. “Just because of how much thoughtful conversation we had, and the guidance we shared to each other through different things we were experiencing at the time.”
Yetman said while walking to campus, the two regularly stopped at Rohr Cafe. There, Yetman said his grandfather encouraged him to ask the employees questions about themselves or make a joke.
“You don’t need to be so caught up in what you’re doing that you can’t just try and lift someone else up,” Yetman said.
Guo said their relationship demonstrated the value of family, companionship and continual learning.
“[Marker and Yetman] reminded me that learning can be something beautiful, pure and empowering in its own right,” Guo said. “Watching [them] confirms that family can be about more than just blood; it’s about being companions in each other’s growth.”
Now, with the fall semester over and the end of the school year quickly approaching, Yetman is looking to the future.
Yetman has applied to multiple colleges, including Ohio State, and is currently planning to pursue a major in business economics — an interest he said was influenced by his experience in Math 1150.
Long term, Yetman said he hopes to join Marker Construction, growing the business and expanding its projects in other states.
Marker said he plans to continue pursuing courses through Program 60. He said he is excited by the wide variety of opportunities the university offers — from programming to fly fishing.
“I have so many interests and so much curiosity,” Marker said. “There are a lot of different classes I’ve been considering.”
For both Marker and Yetman, learning side-by-side turned a simple college course into something more meaningful: shared time, effort, growth and valuable unforgettable moments.
