SAPS September Newsletter
Përshëndetje,
Welcome to the first Fall issue of our monthly newsletter! It has been an eventful month, meaning we have a few topics to cover. We will begin with what is without doubt SAPS’ highest accomplishment so far: the Community Networking Summit held at Kosova’s Embassy in Washington D.C. on September 28th. We will then provide a few updates on our mentorship program, the Eagle Pod series, and a few initiatives we would love for you to be part of. Let’s begin!
1. Community Networking Summit Recap
The first part of our event, a conversation with the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the United States, Ervin Bushati, was facilitated by our Vice President Rei Rama. With the aid of audience questions, Rei engaged the Ambassador in an insightful discussion, in which he encouraged students and young professionals to grow ever more involved in American life, reaching for heights unimaginable for previous generations.
Our panel of professionals was moderated by Enri Lala. It featured Faton Limani, the Harvard administrator and leadership professional alongside Emina Çunmulaj, the renowned model and philanthropist. They were joined by Etel Haxhiaj, the elected District 5 City Councilor of Worcester, Massachusetts and Ermal Shehu, VP for Strategic Pricing at Beacon Building Products.
Spanning public service, business and academia, the panel reflected the wide array of Albanian-American life. Enri’s questions focused primarily on the journeys that brought the panelists to the heights they have reached, while the students and young professionals in the audience brainstormed ways they could help their generation go further.
The panel ended on an inspirational note, reflecting on how far the community has come and a concrete vision of how it aspires to grow in future decades.
Last but not least came the networking portion, at which new connections were made by attendees from across the country. These conversations led to new project ideas and ways to bring the community even closer together. And, of course, we had to take a few group pictures for posterity!
Our entire team feels privileged to have been able to organize this event. We want to thank the panelists, the Embassy of Kosova for so generously opening up their doors and every attendee for taking the time to make the event so special. We look forward to many more to come!
2. Mentorship Program
Our high school mentorship program continues to grow! More than 20 high school students have been successfully paired with mentors at top universities who work to guide them in their application process and beyond.
You can sign up to be a mentee through this link – together we can make sure the young generation of our community has the resources needed to live up to their potential!
As part of the program, we offer tailored webinars led by professionals and experts in a variety of fields, aiding students in the process of presenting their best self to colleges that they aspire to study at, and expose them to a variety of resources when it comes to scholarships and financial aid.
We highly encourage anyone who would like to be involved in this program in any capacity, to contact us at shoqatasaps@gmail.com and make a meaningful impact in the Albanian diaspora.
3. EaglePod
Eagle Pod recently released two insightful new episodes, each featuring inspiring college students in the Albanian-American community making significant strides in their respective fields.
Episode 16: Adem Dalipi
In this episode, rising music star Adem Dalipi talks about his journey on American Idol, sharing memorable moments from the audition process. Adem offers a glimpse into his experience navigating the music industry, while balancing his Albanian heritage, college life, and his passion for both music and electrical engineering.
Episode 17: Nancy Kajo
Nancy Kajo, an undergraduate student at Seton Hall University on a pre-law track, shares her experience studying abroad and starting her own podcast, Zëri Shqiptare. In this episode, she discusses her experience at the UN Headquarters in New York during the "Mission of Albania: Fan Noli Conference" and her contributions to Vatra, the oldest Albanian organization in the United States.
4. Arbanon Magazine
We're excited to share an article written by Andina Pepshi, a member of the SAPS marketing team. The article details the life of Hasan Prishtina, an Albanian patriot and politician, who played a key role in advocating for Albanian rights within the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, and eventually helped lead the Albanian uprising in 1912, fighting for national rights and greater freedoms. We encourage everyone to read the article and explore all the thought-provoking content on the Arbanon website for more stories like this!
5. GroupMe!
We’d like to remind you to join our SAPS Community GroupMe! Our members have used this platform to promote impactful new projects, share music and traditions or to simply discuss what their Albanian identity means to them. It has grown into an even more important platform with the success of our first Community Summit, with more such events to come in the near future
Whatever your interests are, you will find a space and peers to support you here.
6. Student Spotlight; Apply!
While we have focused our efforts on organizing the Community Summit, we have certainly not forgotten about the accomplishments of scholars throughout the United States.
With that in mind, we invite you to fill out the SAPS Scholar Spotlight Form, highlighting your academic achievements or those of another Albanian scholar. It is important that we as a community recognize and encourage the work of our brightest students — yourself included.
Last but not least,
Donate to our mission, so that we can sustain our mentorship programs, continue to provide resources, and bring together events and opportunities like this in the future. Join us in empowering the future of the Albanian-American diaspora. Every donation makes a difference and helps plant seeds for the opportunities, collaborations, and friendships of tomorrow!
This month we want to end our newsletter on a note of gratitude. It has been incredible to see a supportive and forward-looking community grow around the initiatives we have poured our effort into over the last year. Here is to the success we have yet to share and celebrate together.
Until next time!
Gjithë të mirat,
The SAPS Team
