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 grow this into a multimedia enterprise, focused on stories from the community and beyond. With internship experience in the U. S. House of Representatives, Congressional campaigns, and international relations research, he plans to pursue a career of service in American national security and diplomacy.

In our chat we talk about his take on the importance of internships, his goals for his future and the magazine, and how he strives to achieve that ever so elusive "work life balance".

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 also the Executive Director of a non-profit, Albanian American Association of Ulqin, where she gives back to members of her fellow Albanian community, and is also a human rights advocate, focusing on many anti-trafficking programs and initiatives throughout the U.S. 

In our chat we talk about her dream of becoming an attorney, finding mentorship in the workplace, and advice for other students preparing for a possible path to law school. 

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 of topics, such as politics, disability, and children, which makes up a major part of her focus as a writer. She is currently working on a book about family vloggers and child influencers, set to be published by Simon & Schuster. 

In this chat, we talk about how she got her foot in the door in journalism, how she uses her Albanian-bred work ethic to get ahead in a competitive field, and what it takes to profile celebrities like Demi Lovato and Selma Blair. 

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. Prior to this role, she worked as an attorney for over seven years in Macomb County in the Child Protection Unit, prosecuting crimes committed against children. In 2016, she became the youngest female candidate for American Congress, running for the 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, at just 29 years old. Since then, she’s worked as legal counsel for Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan’s Office of the Child Advocate, and the Director of Juvenile Justice Reform at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. As a proud alumna of Oakland University and Cooley Law School, Suzanna has used her law degree to help others and dedicate her career to public service, and she’s only just getting started!

In this chat we talk about how her upbringing impacted her work ethic and personality, what it was like being the first Albanian woman running for Congress, and how she tries to balance a personal life with a very busy career. 

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 premiere tweezing services for its clientele. She then started creating her own line of products, starting with an angled brush applicator (the first of its kind, which has been used by the likes of Cindy Crawford, Zendaya, and more), and expanding to scissors, tweezers, and brow shampoos. She has been featured in esteemed publications such as Vogue, The New York Times, Glamour, and Forbes, and will be celebrating her business’s 20-year anniversary this year! 

In this chat, we talk about growing up in the Bronx as a first-generation daughter of Albanian immigrants, the unique story of how she got into brow work in the first place, and leaving her job at Bergdorf Goodman to set up her own business.

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 Media Advisor for the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, and as a Reporter, Writer, and Researcher for the Alon Ben Meir Institute. Despite facing legal actions, threats, and even surviving physical attacks because of her investigative journalism, Arbana has made it her mission now more than ever to deliver timely, critical, and honest reporting to her readers and followers. She was awarded the UNDP Prize for her articles on corruption in Kosovo three years in a row from 2006-2008, received the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence in 2012, and won the U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award for the European Division in 2015. In this episode we talk about her passion for candid reporting, her thoughts on how social media has affected the journalism profession in recent years, and why she believes free thought and a free press are more relevant now than ever.  

Trigger warning: This episode includes dialogue on topics that may be difficult for some to listen to, including war, physical violence, and sexual assault. Please proceed with caution. 

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 obtaining his J.D. from Touro Law School, Isejn has focused his practice on all aspects of immigration, including political asylum, adjustment of status, and cancellation of removal. In this episode, we talk about his upbringing as a first-generation Albanian in Queens, New York, his decision to open up his own law practice, and his thoughts on the current state of immigration and conditions at the border today. 

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 Assistant at SL Green, and in less than a year was promoted to Associate. In the 10+ years she has been at the company, she’s been making her way up the ranks and is now one of their top executives. In this episode, we chat about what it takes to climb the corporate ladder, succeeding as a woman in a typically male-dominated industry, and how growing up as an Albanian girl in the Bronx impacted her work ethic.

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 private investment firm Bank Street Group LLC, where he and his team provide a comprehensive array of financial advisory services globally to companies and sponsors, notably in the technology and digital infrastructure arena. 

As a founder of the American Univeristy in Kosova, former chairman of the National Albanian American Council, One of the original founders of APEN (Albanian Professionals and Entrepreneurs Network), Richardand his family foundation invest to help develop their fellow Albanians through worthy causes. In this episode, we talk about his 30+ year career in finance and advances the Albanian community has made in that time. He opens up about the challenges of work life balance and growing up between the American and Albanian cultures. Richard also offers insight into Hollywood portrayals of the finance world in films like “Wolf of Wall Street” and “Boiler Room”, the effects that can come with living above your means, and why the advice in one of his favorite books, “The Millionaire Next Door”, is so valuable. 

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 respective industries, navigating through challenging moments in their careers, and what it takes to work towards achieving a healthy work-life balance. 

Big thank you to Marina and Nikolette for speaking on this panel and all of the people who came out to attend and support, as well as to Benjamin’s Steakhouse for providing such a wonderful venue, Adelina Sinanaj for spearheading this great talk, and the Albanian American Club of Westchester (AACW) for organizing yet another wonderful event for Albanians in our community! To stay up to date with AACW’s upcoming events and opportunities, follow them at @aac_westchester on Instagram and their website at: https://www.albanianamericanclub.com.