A university cleaner has finally been awarded a degree in ancient Latin and Greek after 14 years of part-time studying.
Gac Filipaj worked at Columbia University in New York and studied after his shift at the Ivy League institution. The janitor, who did not have to pay for his studies due to being an employee, arrived in New York in 1992 as a Yugoslavia refugee.
The 52-year-old could not speak English when he arrived in the US and spent the next five years learning the language. Calling the graduation "the best moment in my life so far", Filipaj intends to continue his studies.