Why Is Leah Remini Going Back To College?

Actress Leah Remini's latest triumph proves that it's never too late to pursue your dreams. In an Instagram post on Thursday, the 50-year-old revealed that she had been accepted into an associate's program in liberal arts at New York University. Remini hints at the reason why she never received a college education prior to becoming an actress in her post. "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 an education, this is a very big day for me," Remini wrote in the caption. "This didn't come easy. 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."

Until 2013, Remini, along with several of her family members, was involved in the scandal-ridden Church of Scientology. After leaving the Church, she became an outspoken critic of the organization, accusing its leaders of corruption and abuse in many forms, according to Rolling Stone. As Remini revealed to "20/20" in 2015, gaining access into the most elite group within the Church of Scientology, called the Sea Org, meant that she had to leave traditional school in eighth grade and pursue an education in Scientology from that point forward, according to ABC News.