Albesa Aliu, Hellenic American University

Albesa, a native of Kosovo, joined Hellenic American University in 2013. Ever since her arrival to Athens she has been a contributor to University life through her participation in extracurricular activities and as a Student Assistant. Albesa’s civic engagement record is substantial. In 2012, she cofounded and led an NGO, NGO-Change, which helped young people become engaged citizens, empowering them to actively participate in the decision making process of their community at large. NGO-Change, to date, serves as a forum for local youth to voice their opinion on important community issues as well as discuss important topics, relevant to the world and their community. As a student of HAUniv, and as a result of her volunteer work in Kosovo, she has been invited to attend youth exchange programs in Estonia (participated in a youth exchange project that trained young leaders for future NGOs) and Lithuania (working with other young adults on using games in education as a tool for engaging learners in any academic subject, especially languages). In January 2014, she was invited to Amsterdam to attend a Displaced Youth Exchange program, which focused on immigration, gender differences, and xenophobia. The program introduced Albesa to the use of digital media as a mean of exploring and informing diverse audiences on such issues. Indeed, as part of the University’s Politis Program of Civic Engagement, Albesa showcased a video on immigration she produced.
-Leonidas Koskos, President