Leah Remini Reflects After Finishing 1st Semester At NYU: 'It's Tough, But It's Worth It'

"Second Act" actress Leah Remini just wrapped up her first semester at New York University. In May 2021, the game show host announced that she had just got admitted into college to have an associate's degree in NYU's Liberal Arts program.

Remini was previously a part of The Church of Scientology. Upon her departure, the actress released a highly critical docuseries and a book about the controversial religion. The docuseries went on to earn the 51-year-old two Emmy Awards.

While describing her time in college, Remini revealed that the entire experience wasn't easy. In fact, she described it as "tough," especially juggling her studies with her role as a mother and her career. Despite that, she admitted that she was happy for the chance to "educate" herself and that it was all definitely "worth it."

Remini has concluded her finals for her first semester of college. The 51-year-old took to Twitter to celebrate her recent academic win and received several encouraging comments from her many followers. She revealed that the process wasn't easy, especially at her age, but she thought it was worth it.

https://twitter.com/LeahRemini/status/1523024381588385792?s=20&t=pxHJnFzSKhFK93jAfhOxMw

The Emmy winner wrote, "Going to college for the first time at 51 after living most of my life in a cult and only having an 8th grade education hasn't been easy. But I took my first NYU final exams this week, and I'm glad I decided to educate myself."

Remini added, "It's never too late. It's tough, but it's worth it." Going to college is one of the many journeys the actress has embarked on since leaving Scientology in 2013. After she left, the 51-year-old made a docuseries and wrote a book about her time in the organization.

The actress shared her admission letter from NYU on Instagram in May 2021. There Remini announced her acceptance into the institution and her intention to get an associate's degree via their Liberal Arts program.

The post read, "I am so excited, in tears and wanted to share this with you guys. For someone like me, a person who desperately wanted a higher education and options in my life, coming from a cult and a family who didn't value education, this is a very big day for me. This didn't come easy."

Remini added that attending college was a big step for her, mainly because she didn't know if she was smart enough to succeed.

In the post she continued, "This is one of the last chunks of my life that I am taking back for myself from Scientology. It took a lot for me to take this step, for fear that I was not smart enough, not worthy enough, not able to do the work that will be required my age … I did it anyway with a lot of encouragement from a very special person in my life."

Remini reportedly grew up a Scientologist but left the group years later. After her departure, the "Kevin Can Wait" actress created a docuseries based on her time in the organization. The docuseries, titled "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath," delved into the religion and highlighted people's experiences as a part of the controversial group. It went on to win two Emmy Primetime Awards for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special.

The actress also released a book, "Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology," which reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller List. Both series and book were highly critical of the controversial organization.

In response, the Church of Scientology denied being a cult and has continued to condemn Remini and her claims about the religion. "Leah Remini: Scientology and its Aftermath" wrapped up in 2019 after airing for three seasons.

In an earlier interview with People, the 51-year-old got candid about how she balanced her everyday life with school. She revealed that while the entire experience was "amazing," it still had drawbacks because she constantly had to juggle her studies with her career and role as a parent.

She said, "It's been difficult when I'm working because sometimes I'll work from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. and then have to come home and read chapters and do a quiz when my brain is shutting down. But I'm doing it, and I am proud of myself."

The actress then joked that she could possibly go into politics with her degree to render some form of "public service." Remini added, "With my degree, I might eventually want to go into politics, but who knows? I would like to be of some kind of public service.