SAPS Newsletter (May-July)
Përshendetje,
We hope the dawn of summer finds you well! We’re excited to share the latest highlights from our vibrant community of scholars and professionals. It’s been a little while since our last newsletter, and we’re thrilled to be back with a fresh roundup of all things SAPS. From impactful events to new program launches, there’s a lot to catch up on so let’s dive in!
This month:
SAPS College Mentorship Initiative Workshop Recap
SAPS x GKSF Event Recap
SAPS High School Mentorship Recommences: Live for Another Cycle!
SAPS Scholar Spotlight
Latest on Arbanon
1. SAPS College Mentorship Initiative Workshop Recap
SAPS recently concluded three webinars featuring successful professionals in various fields. The first was the empowering “Off-Script, On Purpose: Albanian Women Carving Out their Own Path,” followed by “Insights Into the Dental Profession” and “Navigating the Medical School Application Process: Insights from Current Medical Students.”
Students from across the country were able to gather both practical and actionable advice as well as encouraging guidance from the women, dental professionals and medical students we were lucky enough to be joined by. Thank you to everyone who was able to join, panelists and attendees alike, and stay up-to-date for future impactful seminars!
If you missed it, you can also watch the webinars on our YouTube by clicking HERE!
2. SAPS x GKSF Event Recap
We were beyond proud to bring SAPS to Michigan this summer in partnership with the prestigious Gjergj Kastrioti Scholarship Fund! On June 28th, community members gathered at Safetrust Mortgage in Troy, MI for an afternoon filled with inspiration, storytelling, and connection.
The event featured a powerful panel of trailblazing Albanian-American women—Betira Shahollari (Ally Bank; Founder, Albanian Professional Women Organization), Entela Kaba (licensed counselor and mental health advocate), and Gjina Lucaj (corporate law partner, Foley & Lardner LLP). Their insights on identity, leadership, and mentorship sparked thoughtful conversations and left attendees feeling empowered and proud.
We closed the day with a Q&A and open networking session that allowed students and professionals to build meaningful connections across sectors like law, finance, and mental health.
Catch some of the moments from this memorable day HERE!
3. SAPS High School Mentorship Recommences
We are thrilled to announce that SAPS is kickstarting the second cycle of its impactful mentorship initiative! Here’s what we do:
Our Mentorship Initiative bridges connections across the Albanian diaspora by offering free, personalized guidance to students navigating their educational journeys. Last cycle we were able to support high school students with over 40 mentors from 33 institutions nationwide! The program pairs high school students with successful college mentors to provide tailored support for college applications, scholarships, and academic success. Beyond academics, SAPS builds on students’ unique stories and strengths, building lifelong connections and a vibrant network of support across the U.S.
We are excited to replicate these results, if not exceed them, in this second cycle. This push will be just as important to launch young Albanians into their professional lives on the right footing while creating lifelong bonds.
Professionals interested in mentoring please sign up HERE!
High school students wishing to be paired with a mentor please register HERE!
We cannot wait to keep facilitating new connections and knowledge. Our aim remains building our peers up academically and far beyond!
4. SAPS Student Spotlight – Get Featured
Want to be featured in our next SAPS Scholar Spotlight?
We love highlighting the stories, achievements, and journeys of Albanian students and professionals in our community. If you or someone you know would make a great feature, take a minute to fill out the short form HERE!
We can’t wait to share your story!
5. Latest on Arbanon Magazine
This month, Arbanon featured an article with direct relevance to social and political life in Albania. Published the week leading up to the most important parliamentary elections in years, Chief Editor Enri Lala makes the case for what Albanians should be putting first: institutions.
Combining theoretical works with decades of painful lived experiences in the country’s recent history, Enri observes that immediate material results have too often been prioritized at the expense of slow institutional development. The duty to move away from this, he argues, falls on economically prosperous citizens as well as those in the diaspora, who are not liable to direct political pressure on their livelihoods.
Read the article here and feel free to add a comment – the more voices that join the conversation, the better. We encourage you all to follow Arbanon and keep up with future articles and projects!
We hope you all enjoyed the newsletter this time around and we thank you all for sticking around. We wish you an enjoyable rest of the summer – perhaps including travel plans to the Albanian Riviera? As we continue our programs and plan to check back in with you later next month. Until then, remain in contact!
Gjithë të mirat,
The SAPS Team
Keep up with SAPS!
