Dielli | The Sun

Albanian American Newspaper Devoted to the Intellectual and Cultural Advancement of the Albanians in America | Since 1909

Female empowerment and leadership panel

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Come hear from four amazing powerhouse women and learn about confidence, female empowerment, and more from their journeys!

About this event

This is the kickoff event for the Life School Youth Leadership. The Life School Youth leadership aims to help empower the next generation of young people to be the best version of themselves through online events and more! The host for this event will be former Miss Connecticut Teen USA 2020, Samantha Sarelli, the current executive director for the Life School Youth Leadership. The panelists for this Female Empowerment and Leadership Event are as follow:

Andreia Gibau

Andreia is the reigning Miss New York USA 2020, Miss Earth USA 2017 and Miss Teen United States 2015. She is a speaker, writer, influencer & a philanthropist working with New York Cares, Best Buddies, and Princess Chambers inc. She considers philanthropy to be at the core of her identity due to being born into poverty in Cape Verde. Immigrating to the United States at the age of seven, living in an inner city, and not speaking English presented many challenges to Andreia. She serves as an advocate for inner city and underprivileged youth and is committed to elevating the voices of others, to influence change in society, and to spark meaningful conversations through her skill set and humanitarianism. Andreia is a graduate of St. John’s University having obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in public relations and certification in public speaking through the Professional Speakers Federation. Andreia has been featured on Inside Edition, Extra, Good Day NY, Glamour Magazine, E! News, People.com and more! She was named Phoenix magazine’s 30 under 30 for philanthropy and speaks 4 languages.

Molly Qerim

Molly Qerim Rose is the familiar female face and voice who commands the desk on ESPN’s hit morning show, First Take. The Emmy award-winning Qerim Rose is at the helm, working alongside Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman to moderate two very strong personalities with both warmth and authority. In this role, she regularly showcases her ability to connect with a wide variety of guests through interview segments. Qerim Rose thrives in front of a live audience when First Take travels to marquee sporting events as an on-site presence for ESPN. Early in her career, Qerim Rose spent four years at ESPN beginning in 2006 contributing to digital and mobile platforms, earning an Emmy in 2008 for her work on fantasy football now. Her next stops included CBS sports (New York City) covering college football and basketball, among other major events, and NFL network (Los Angeles), hosting NFL am and NFL Fantasy Live. Qerim Rose returned to ESPN in 2015 and was immediately tapped to host First Take, the position she currently holds. In addition to covering all the championship events, Qerim Rose has a breadth of experience with celebrity red carpets, a-list musical and tv/film guest interviews, UFC/MMA coverage, tennis, boxing and more. Off camera, Qerim Rose is a philanthropist and ambassador for Boys and Girls Club of America, the Innocence Project and is an advocate for endometriosis awareness. A native of Connecticut, Qerim Rose graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor’s degree in communications and a minor in business administration. She received a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Quinnipiac University and was inducted into their inaugural hall of fame class in 2020. She is married to former NBA star and media personality Jalen Rose.

Taliyah McGee

Taliyah McGee was born at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven Connecticut. Taliyah was raised in West Haven, Connecticut and attended Betsy Ross Arts Magnet Middle School, and Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School where her emphasis was dance. Growing up Taliyah was always active as a competitive gymnast for twelve years, dancer, and Collegiate level Cheerleader. Taliyah was raised in a christian household, and is a firm believer of Jesus Christ. Taliyah is one of four siblings and the youngest girl in her family. At the age of fourteen, Taliyah pioneered a program called “Shape The Nation: Combating Childhood Obesity through Physical fitness and Health.” Shape The Nation is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to educating children, ages five to seventeen, on how to live a healthy lifestyle. Taliyah always had a passion for helping youth achieve goals traveling around the state of Connecticut to various schools, churches, and community centers where she hosts workout-a-thons to increase physical activity and its impact on your mental and emotional health. In 2019, Taliyah founded “Triumph Talk.” Triumph Talk is a program dedicated to helping young women overcome traumatic experiences. It is a support group built to amplify the voice of survivors and overcomers as they often are victimized. Triumph Talk provides resources for women as we partner with many clinical professionals and therapists to help guide women to “Triumph OVER Trauma.” Overcoming a rare eye condition Nystagmus, Aneurysmal Bone Cyst, and Sexual Assault, Taliyah had the abilty to turn her pain into purpose. Taliyah did not let her trauma deter her from being the woman she knew God had called for her to be. Through her healing process, she found her purpose which was to help other women overcome their trauma. Taliyah believes that “there is beauty in our wounds and timing is key, a butterfly stays in its cocoon until it’s ready to blossom and soar, be patient and steadfast.”

Shayla Montgomery

Shayla is a firm believer it takes perseverance to reach your goals. At 18, Shayla is a junior in college, a woman in science, and adores outdoor adventures! During high school, Shayla was able to receive not only her diploma but also her associate’s degree. Upon graduation from college, she hopes to become a Nurse Practitioner in Dermatology. Throughout her childhood, Shayla struggled with self-love and now sees young girls with the same issues she had. This is why she created Teens Speak Life, a national movement that promotes self-love and positive teen interaction. During her pageant career, she has held multiple state titles through National American Miss and International Junior Miss while also being a national titleholder for National American Miss as the 2015-2016 National American Miss Pre-Teen. However, her biggest goal in pageantry was to walk the Miss Teen USA stage as Miss Oregon Teen USA. After placing first-runner up to Miss Teen USA as Miss Oregon this November her pageant career has been put on pause until she obtains her doctorate degree. Shayla now focuses her spare time mentoring young women and coaching them to be the best version of themselves alongside her dad with their pageant coaching business Believe Consulting.

Source: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/female-leadership-and-confidence-panel-tickets-164061431157?fbclid=IwAR2TbnkBLI1hPmBNH9YkF_wh2ISKEYhdgduIAnbk5OfzZMWsM6qCj_wGu7E

NDËRROI JETË PATRIOTI GJON JOHN LULGJURAJ, VATRA SHPREH NGUSHËLLIMET MË TË THELLA

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Në emër të Federatës Panshqiptare të Amerikës VATRA, në emër të të gjithë vatranëve, të familjes sime dhe në emër tim personal, përcjellim ngushëllimet më të sinqerta e më të dhimbshme për ndarjen nga jeta të patriotit shqiptar, veprimtarit të dalluar të çështjes kombëtare Gjon John Lulgjuraj. VATRA dhe komuniteti shqiptar në USA, Malësi dhe viset shqiptare do i jenë mirënjohës dhe sdo ta harrojnë kurrë kontributin e z.Lulgjuraj për çështjen kombëtare dhe ndihmën për komunitetin shqiptar. VATRA gjendet pranë familjes e miqve të Gjonit në këto momente trishtimi e lamtumire.Gjon Lulgjuraj pushoftë në paqen e amshuar dhe i ndrittë shpirti në përjetësi. Lusim Zotin për shpirtin e këtij shqiptari të veçantë.

Pranë jush dhe me nderime.

Kryetari i VATRËS

Elmi BERISHA

Gov. Cuomo resigns in wake of damning sexual harassment accusations

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FILE – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, left, and Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul listen to a speaker during a cabinet meeting in the Red Room at the Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in Albany, N.Y. (Mike Groll/AP)

By DENIS SLATTERY and CHRIS SOMMERFELDT NEW YORK DAILY NEWS |AUG 10, 2021 AT 12:13 PM

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo resigned Tuesday in the face of escalating political pressure over a bombshell report corroborating sexual misconduct claims and detailing years of predatory behavior, saying that he no longer wants to be a “distraction” to New Yorkers. One of the most prominent Democratic governors in the country, Cuomo’s fall from grace was swift as his administration became embroiled in controversy amid the COVID pandemic and multiple women came forward with claims that the 63-year-old politician sexually harassed them. “Wasting energy on distractions is the last thing that state government should be doing. I cannot be the cause of that,” Cuomo said in a live-streamed speech from his Manhattan office. He continued, “Given the circumstance, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to government, and therefore that’s what I’ll do.” Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul will take over as governor in 14 days, becoming the first woman to take over leadership of the state, Cuomo said. He pledged to make it a “seamless” transfer. Cuomo’s stunning downfall comes as 11 women, the majority of whom were much younger aides and advisers, shared their accounts of inappropriate behavior and harassment with investigators working under Attorney General James. Calls for Cuomo’s resignation and impeachment mounted as the accusations piled up earlier in the year. But it took a 165-page report released Tuesday following a five month independent investigation to bring an end to the three-term governor’s rule. Cuomo had remained defiant, resisting calls for his ouster, as he painted the probe as politically-motivated and biased. His tone changed Wednesday after a week of long-time allies and union backers breaking from the career politician to call for his resignation.

Front page for New York Daily News on Feb. 25, 2021: 'Woes pile up for Andy' -- *Nursing home cash flooded Cuomo coffers *Ex-gov aide spills dirt on alleged sex harass
Front page for New York Daily News on Feb. 25, 2021: ‘Woes pile up for Andy’ — *Nursing home cash flooded Cuomo coffers *Ex-gov aide spills dirt on alleged sex harass (New York Daily News)

James’ probe, run by former federal prosecutor Joon Kim and employment discrimination attorney Anne Clark, details a pattern of creepy conduct that violated state and federal laws — including unwanted advances, touching of “intimate body parts” without consent and comments that accusers called “deeply humiliating, uncomfortable, offensive, or inappropriate.” Cuomo and his senior staff also fostered a “toxic” workplace that enabled “harassment to occur and created a hostile work environment” and took actions to retaliate against at least one former employee for going public with accusations against the powerful Democrat. Former Cuomo adviser Lindsey Boylan sparked the fire earlier this year when she published an essay detailing a toxic workplace besieged by bullying behavior, sexual harassment accusations against the governor and alleged that Cuomo once kissed her against her will. Multiple other women followed suit, coming forward with similar claims. Most damning, an aide claimed the governor reached under her blouse and groped her while at the Executive Mansion, Cuomo’s official residence, late last year. The staffer who says Cuomo groped her told investigators that she “in no way, shape or form invited that nor did I ask for it. I didn’t want it. I feel like I was being taken advantage of.” She feared for her job and initially remained resolved to take the incident “to the grave,” but later related her account to co-workers after witnessing Cuomo publicly deny ever touching a woman inappropriately. At a March briefing, Cuomo apologized for comments he made in the past, claiming he didn’t know he was “making anyone feel uncomfortable.” Following James’ report, the embattled governor initially remained steadfast in his belief that he should remain in office. “The facts are much different than what has been portrayed,” Cuomo said in a scripted, pre-recorded response to the report. “I never touched anybody inappropriately… or made inappropriate sexual advances.” Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) pledged to fast-track his chamber’s impeachment investigation into the governor in the wake of the report. After meeting with his members on Tuesday, Heastie said that “it is abundantly clear to me that the Governor has lost the confidence of the Assembly Democratic majority and that he can no longer remain in office.”The sweeping impeachment investigation was also looking at whether the Cuomo administration obscured COVID deaths in nursing homes, whether the governor’s friends and family received special treatment and access to coronavirus tests and myriad other issues. In his third term, the governor earned a cult-like following as he became a national star early on in the coronavirus crisis thanks to his daily televised briefing. He spent a decade at the helm of the Empire State, forging a reputation as a ruthless leader with intimate knowledge of the machinations of state government. The eldest son of late Gov. Mario Cuomo, the Queens native followed his father’s footsteps to the Executive Mansion after serving as state attorney general and head of the federal Housing and Urban Development in the Clinton administration. He now becomes the second New York governor to step down in the past two decades. Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 2008 after it came to light that he had repeatedly used the services of a high-priced prostitution ring. Prior to Cuomo’s sexual harassment scandal, the governor was already under fire and facing a federal probe amid accusations his administration grossly under-reported COVID-related nursing home deaths and tried to cover it up. In January, James’s office released a report that found coronavirus deaths at long-term care facilities appeared to be undercounted by roughly 50%. Hours after the blistering report was released state officials updated its public count of nursing home deaths, which ballooned from 8,500 to more than 15,000, about a third of all confirmed COVID deaths in the state. The following week, top Cuomo aide Melissa DeRosa told Democratic lawmakers that state officials “froze” when the Justice Department requested nursing home data last summer. She said that led to the stonewalling of requests for similar information by legislators. Cuomo, who published a book last year to “provide leadership lessons” as his political star rose to new heights, has denied there was any cover up.

Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-cuomo-resigns-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-scandal-20210810-xeud26xom5d35fgdrvd6donuku-story.html

GJERGJ BALAJ IS NO LONGER WITH US

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By Rafaela Prifti

It is with a very heavy heart that we learned of Gjergj Balaj’s passing. Our prayers and thoughts are with the Balaj family at this most difficult time. Vatra community is deeply saddened by the loss of a dedicated Vatran, a longtime supporter, a generous contributor and member of the Hudson Valley Chapter, Gjergj Balaj.

Our Lady of Shkodra has posted the notice on its website. “With sadness and great pain, we inform the Albanian community that yesterday on July 25, Gjergj Balaj departed suddenly at the young age of 52. Gjergj was a patriot, a man of faith, and a well known activist. This is a profound loss for the Church and our Albanian community. Pray that the Balaj family find strength with our Mighty Lord.”

Family members, friends, and associates of the deceased are mourning Gjergj’s passing and are expressing their condolences across social media.

The visitation hours will be at the Yorktown Funeral Home 945 East Main Street, Yorktown, New York 10588 today from 2-9pm.

The Funeral Mass and services will take place on Wednesday July 28 at 1pm at Our Lady of Shkodra Catholic Church. From there, the procession will be taking the deceased to the final resting place at “Gate of Heaven” 10 West Stevens Ave. Hawthorne. NY

No obituary is posted at this time.

We are keeping the Balaj family in our thoughts and prayers at this most difficult time, especially his wife Aida and their three sons. May his memory be a blessing.

SHKOLLA SHQIPE”ALBA LIFE”- NE SHTATOR NE MJEDISET E QENDRES SHQIPTARE NE JACOBI CENTER

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  • Drejtori i Shkollës Shqipe “Alba Life” Qemal Zylo, themelues i saj, mori takim me z.Mark Gjonaj i cili së bashku me ekipin e tij afroi mjedise komode me klasa të përshtatshme për të zhvilluar mësimin e rregullt në Jacobi Center, që ndodhet në një nga lagjet e Nju Jorkut në Bronx.

Nga Keze Kozeta Zylo/

Pandemia boterore e izoloi njerëzimin dhe secili e ndjeu në mënyëën e vet shkatërrimin që po sillte Covid 19.  Në bazë të studimeve fëmijët, nxënësit, studentët e ndjenë dhe më shumë pasi izolimi pengon në shumë gjëra për të marrë dijet shkencore në të gjitha fushat…  

Edhe Shkolla Shqipe “Alba Life” që operon në të gjitha lagjet e Nju Jorkut u izolua që nga marsi i vitit 2020 deri në qershor 2021, por mësimet nuk i ndërpreu kurrë pasi ishte e para shkollë që filloi programin mësimor në platformën Google Meet në Online dhe kjo në saje të punës së përkushtuar të të gjithë mësuesëve tejet profesionistë, stafit, prindërve dhe nxënësve.

Tani kemi shansin të fillojmë mësimin në klasat e rregullta në shtator.  Për këtë bordi dhe stafi i shkollës edhe pse jane në pushimet verore po punon fort për të realizuar këtë mision kombëtar.  Konkretisht z.Qemal Zylo themelues dhe drejtori i Shkollës Shqipe “Alba Life” mori takim me z.Mark Gjonaj i cili së bashku me ekipin e tij na afroi mjedise komode me klasa të përshtatshme për të zhvilluar mësimin e rregullt në një nga lagjet e Nju Jorkut në Bronx.  Drejtori i përgjithshëm i Jacobi Center foli fjalë miradie për z.Mark Gjonaj duke thënë se është një këshilltar plot kulturë dhe një ndihmës i jashtëzakonshëm për publikun. 

Duke vizituar këtë qendër ne kaluam një një klasë ku ndodheshin mjekë dhe infermierë.  Z.Mark Gjonaj pasi i përshëndeti dhe i falënderoi për punën e tyre vecanërisht për përballimin me sukses të shërbimit të sëmureve me Covid 19, ai u mirëprit me duartrokitje.  Ata e njihnin mirë mbështetjen e tij dhe këtë e pashë në dëgjimin plot vemendje si dhe duartrokitjet në fjalën e z.Gjonaj gjatë përshëndetjes. E kush më shumë se Z.Mark Gjonaj mund të ndihmojë moralisht dhe me vepra?  Z.Mark Gjonaj është i pari politikan Shqiptaro Amerikan që punoi dhe realizoi ligjërisht mësimin e gjuhës shqipe në shkollat publike amerikane në New York.  

Z.Mark Gjonaj është i pari Shqiptaro Amerikan që është ulur në karrigen e Ansamblesë së shtetit të Nju Jorkut dhe në Bashkinë e Nju Jorkut.  

Nxënësit e Shkollës Shqipe “Alba Life” e kanë ndjerë nga afër mbështetjen e tij pasi ka marrë pjesë në disa aktivitete të rëndësishme që ushtron shkolla gjatë vitit.  Ardhja dhe mbëshetja e tij duket se është vazhdim i veprës së Rilindasve.  Duke vizituar mjediset tejet komode në bashkëbisedim e sipër mëtha se: “Në se ne do të punojmë me brezin e ri, me studentët, nxënësit dhe vecanërisht me fëmijët atëhere Diaspora Shqiptaro Amerikane do të jetë shumë e fortë dhe shumë e ndjeshme për Kombin tonë tëpërbashkët.  Ne duhet të punojmë pa u lodhur për të transmetuar tek brezi i ri kulturën tonë dhe traditat e mrekullueshme shqiptare”.    

Z.Mark Gjonaj është një Rilindas i Diasporës Shqiptaro Amerikane! 

Ju mirëpresim nxënës të dashur në shtator 2021!  

22 korrik, 2021

Bronx, New York