Mark Wahlberg has added a landmark achievement to his life. As of June, the actor and producer is a high school graduate.

Wahlberg, 42, said that his inspiration for finally getting his high school diploma was his four children.

"I didn't want the kids saying, 'You didn't do it, so why do I need it?' They are all wanting to do things in their future that require an education," Wahlberg said in an interview with People on Monday during an event for Taco Bell Foundation for Teens.

The actor-producer dropped out of high school after being charged with attempted murder in the ninth grade. According to Wahlberg, finishing what he started is "a huge accomplishment."

"It's also a huge sense of relief," Wahlberg told People. "I wondered, 'Why didn't I do it when I was there?' It's so much harder at 41 going back and trying to do all these difficult tasks."

Wahlberg, who is an executive producer for HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," announced that he would begin the process of getting his high school diploma in a June 2012 episode of "The Late Show with David Lettterman."

"They have this new program in Massachusetts where you can actually take the courses online," Wahlberg said during the interview. "So I'm starting this month in New Orleans."

The actor did his coursework while on the set for the film 2 Guns, which co-starred Denzel Washington, Wahlberg did not tell Washington about his venture at the time.

"Denzel was always asking me what I was doing, but I didn't want to share that information with him," Walberg told People. "Nobody knew because I felt like I don't like to count my chickens before they hatch. So I didn't want to say that I was doing it until I actually finished it. What if I said I'm doing this, and I didn't finish it?"

Wahlberg is apparently hooked on education. He told People about his future hopes of continuing his schooling.

"I would love to go to USC and study film," Wahlberg said. "I don't want to become a veterinarian or anything, [I want to study] things that further my career and broaden my horizon."

During Monday's Taco Bell Foundation for Teens event, Wahlberg presented scholarship to a special group of Taco Bell's employees. The event, which took place in Irvine, Calif. was part of a pilot program.

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