At 51, campus guard receives law degree

Zhou Dexin, a 51-year-old security guard at Xiamen University, received his Bachelor’s degree in law after five years of part-time studying.

Zhou, a retired soldier from southwest China’s Chongqing, dreamed of becoming a lawyer when he was young but studied fashion design at a vocational middle school. In 2013, Zhou Dexin became a security guard at Xiamen University. The school of continuing education began offering night classes and reduced tuition for staff members in 2014. Zhou’s dream of being a lawyer was reignited.

Over the past five years, Zhou studied during the day and worked at night, and passed the exams for over 40 courses.

After completing his graduation thesis, he received a bachelor’s degree in law. Of the 38 students in his class, Zhou was one of only two to earn a Bachelor’s degree.