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The Takeaway: Ivy League Janitor Graduates
By Elizabeth Nolan Brown, May 18, 2012 08:13 AM
This is a man with great pride, whether he's doing custodial work or academics," said Peter Awn, dean of Columbia's School of General Studies and professor of Islamic studies. "He is immensely humble and grateful, but he's one individual who makes his own future."
I love Seneca's letters because they're written in the spirit in which I was educated in my family - not to look for fame and fortune, but to have a simple, honest, honorable life," he said.
In 1992, Filipaj, an ethnic Albanian and Roman Catholic, had almost finished law school in Yugoslavia when he had to flee the country to avoid being drafted into Serbian-led Yogoslav army. He came to New York, where he lived with his uncle and worked as a restaurant busboy before taking a job a Columbia.
I asked people, which are the best schools in New York?" he says. Since Columbia topped his list, "I went there to see if I could get a job."
And Filipaj isn't finished yet: He would like to get at least a master's degree-perhaps a Ph.D.-in Roman and Greek classics. He hopes to teach and translate his favorite classic works into Albanian.
Friday Quick Hits:
- Brain fog not always Alzheimer's: Other conditions-sleep apnea, vitamin deficiency, medication, depression-may be misdiagnosed as Alzheimer's disease in older adults, USA Today notes. "It's a real problem," said clinical psychologist Peter Lichtenberg. "If you're older and you get a label of Alzheimer's-even a hint that you have Alzheimer's-there's no more critical thinking about it. You're written off by a lot of people."
- Z-pack Drawback: The "Z-pack," a popular antibiotic widely prescribed for bacterial infections and bronchitis, could raise raise risk of cardiovascular death by 2.5 percent, according to a new study.
- Aging with Pets: Will boomers love for pets change as both age? Pet ownership tends to drop among older adults, as fixed incomes, smaller homes or physical limitations begin to interfere with pet care.
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