“Today I graduated from Columbia University with a Master’s Degree in Political Science. Over the last year, I have produced work that explicitly focuses on the indigenous Albanian population of the Balkans, with the goal of introducing the Albanian perspective in academic discourse and reclaiming the narrative over the region. I am beyond grateful and proud to have been able to use the Albanian language in my studies and prioritize the work of Albanian authors in my research. While I was born and raised in the United States, I am first and foremost an Albanian woman, and my identity will always be the crux of what I do.
Thank you to God. Thank you to my family. Thank you to everyone who supported me. Thank you to all those who came before me”- Mary Camaj.