Filipaj, who began working at Columbia University in 1993 and shortly thereafter enrolled in the Columbia University American Language Program, is elated that he will graduate after 19 years.
“I am extremely pleased and happy to see the results of my efforts pay off after all of this time. I have truly enjoyed my professors, especially Professor Gareth Williams, and being in classes with young people who are extremely mature in their approach to their coursework,” Filipaj said.
Born and raised on a family farm in Montenegro, Filipaj attended the Law College in Belgrade as a part-time student before coming to the United States.
“As a part-time student, I only had to be present for the exams. So I would travel overnight by train, for eight hours, to take exams and then return to help my family on our farm. Eventually I began rooming with a friend near campus, but the fighting in Yugoslavia prevented me from finishing my degree,” Filipaj said.
When he arrived in the United States, Filipaj settled in the Belmont section of the Bronx and began taking English classes at Theodore Roosevelt High School. Shortly thereafter, he asked a friend what was the best university in New York City. His friend told him Columbia so he applied for a custodial position and began taking English-language courses through the American Language Program.
“First, for six years, I worked in the dormitories as a heavy cleaner, and then, when the student union Lerner Hall opened, I began working there in 2000. As a student, I was working on English-language courses and eventually my English proficiency was at a high enough level to be eligible to begin taking classes part-time through the School of Continuing Education and then the School of General Studies,” Filipaj said.
After graduation, Filipaj, who to this day sends the majority of his salary to family in Montenegro, would like to take a semester off to focus on his job, but eventually he would like to further his studies in classics, languages, or philosophy.
“I would say that I have fulfilled half of my dream—going to graduate school would complete it,” Filipaj said.
