Përpara

Enri Lala is a fourth-year History & Global Studies major at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Born in Tirana, he immigrated to California at 11, and has called the state home since. Enri founded and serves as Chief Editor of Arbanon Magazine, a youth-led media platform focused on Albanian history and current events. In partnership with other young Albanian-Americans, he hopes to gr...

Sam Sarelli is a young, Albanian-American professional based in New York City. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from Trinity College, and is currently a paralegal at a Manhattan law firm with aspirations to attend law school soon. She has had internships in the legal, investment banking, and political fields, and was also Miss Connecticut Teen USA in 2020. Sam is a...

Fortesa Latifi is a Los Angeles based, Albanian-American journalist, who has written for publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Teen Vogue. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Arizona and her Master’s Degree in journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She has reported on a variety o...

Suzanna Shkreli is a first-generation Albanian-American highly accomplished attorney, who has forged a career in many areas, including public service, government, and politics. She is currently the Commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery, which aims to continue the Michigan Lottery’s success in funding education, with over $1.3 billion contributed to schools across the state in 2023 alone. Prio...

Sania Vucetaj is a trail-blazing entrepreneur, business owner, and beauty expert. For over 25 years and counting, Sania has become the leading expert on eyebrow care, working with big names such as Rihanna, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Camila Cabello. She opened up her own brow salon in 2005, Sania’s Brow Bar, which now has locations throughout New York including Westchester and Manhattan, and offers...

Arbana Xharra is an investigative journalist from Kosovo, with over 20 years of experience, focusing her reporting on issues of corruption, religious extremism, and gender relations. Arbana Xharra has worked at publications in Pristina, Kosovo such as  Koha  and  Gazeta Zeri , where she became Editor-in-Chief while still just in her 20’s. Upon moving to the U.S., she has also worked as Social Medi...

Isejn Marku is an immigration attorney with decades of experience, and founder of his own law firm, the Marku Law Group. Isejn has been serving the Albanian community and other minority groups for over 25 years, practicing in the legal areas of real estate, family law, and immigration law. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from St. John’s University and obtaini...

Laura Vulaj is Senior Vice President of Hospitality and Sustainability at SL Green, a real estate investment trust that invests in office buildings and shopping centers in New York City, owning over 40 properties and deemed “New York City’s largest office landlord.” After graduating from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, Laura began working as an Executive Ass...

Richard Lukaj is a highly experienced financial executive, private investor, and public policy advocate, with a strong focus on giving back to the Albanian community. In addition to graduating with his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics from New York University, Richard worked at Davis Polk & Wardwell and Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., before eventually founding his own privat...

In the first ever live recording of the podcast, we spoke to Marina Kote, a real estate agent and entrepreneur, and Nikolette Dusevic, a rising second year law student interning at investment bank Morgan Stanley this summer, about their careers, lessons learned, and their individual journeys to success. They chatted to a crowd of 20+ attendees about how they got their foot in the door in their res...

Gjina Lucaj is an accomplished corporate attorney and partner at the international law firm Foley & Lardner LLP. At Foley, Gjina works on mergers & acquisitions, private equity transactions, and offerings, and has represented some of Michigan and the U.S.’s largest companies, retailers, and providers in multi-billion dollar sales and transactions. Gjina graduated from the University of Mic...

Vedat Gashi is a prominent legislator based in Westchester County, NY, currently serving the cities Ossining, Somers, and Yorktown in the New York area. After finishing his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and his law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law, Vedat returned to his hometown of Pristina, Kosovo to start his legal career. After working as the Chief Legal Advi...

Rina Gocaj-Bekiri and Floriye Elmazi are co-founders of Sisterwould, an innovative and inclusive haircare brand, which launched in Fall 2022. Sisterwould, which is cruelty-free, vegan, and Australian-created, has partnered with Vision Australia as part of its goal to meet the needs of the visually impaired and blind community. One of the first of its kind, the brand includes Braille and tactile im...

Valentina Juncaj is the Founder and Creative Director of Vajzë and Burrë, luxury jewelry brands operated out of metro Detroit. After working in marketing for years but always harboring a passion for the arts, Valentina decided to start her own company in 2016. Since then, Vajzë has taken off, being worn by big names such as Grammy-nominated singer Bebe Rexha, Emmy-winning television host Jeannie M...

Valbona Vulaj is a Senior Systems Engineer at Polaris Inc., one of the leading power sports companies in the U.S. With a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering under her belt, she's worked with some of the largest auto brands and companies in the country, including FCA Fiat. We chat about how she got her start in engineering, how to succeed as a young woman in a male-...

Vetone Ivezaj, Linda Nikaj, and Florida Hoxha are three talented and hardworking attorneys, determined to use their law degrees to further their passions and help those in need. In this chat, we talk about why and how they got into law, navigating and defeating “imposter syndrome”, and their hopes for themselves and Albanian women in general for the future. 

Kreshnik Jonuzi and Luftar Von Rama are two of the most talented, innovative, and leading filmmakers in the movie, television, and documentary space today. They are the directors of the 2017 award-winning documentary Triumph, which centers around the Albania national soccer team and their qualification into the 2016 Euro Cup. We talk about how to get your foot in the door in the filmmaking industr...

Mediha Gega is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of her own private therapy practice, Mediha Gega Therapy. We discuss breaking through the societal stigma often attached to discussing mental health, advice for people pursuing a career in the therapy space, and how being the oldest daughter in an Albanian family helped shape her. *To note, this episode contains discussions on topics inv...

Bona is an Albanian American artist currently based in New York, who incorporates aspects of her culture and family into her work. We chat about who first encouraged Bona to pursue her artistic talents, how to navigate the “business” side of the art world, and her take on the impressive rise of Albanian women achieving success in numerous fields today.

Gjon is a federal prosecutor who has worked for the U.S. Department of Justice for over 20 years. We chat about his upbringing as a first generation Albanian-American in Detroit, what first sparked his interest in law, and his time as the Resident Legal Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Albania.