The New York State Assembly has bestowed honors upon the “Alba Life” Albanian Schools, recognizing them as Ambassadors of the Nation during their 2023-2024 academic year-end festival.
The 2023-2024 academic year concluded with remarkable success for “Alba Life” Albanian Schools, thanks to the dedicated efforts of professional teachers, parents, and enthusiastic students. Over the past 17 years, “Alba Life” has grown from a single school in Staten Island with 6-7 students to a network of schools throughout New York City and online.
To celebrate this growth, the board organized a grand festival bringing together all the schools, showcasing their achievements with dignity on New York stages. The year-end festival took place at the Christopher Columbus American Public School in the Bronx, where Albanian language classes are held. Teachers Mehrije and Erlinda Shala and Klaudia Palaj warmly welcomed attendees.
Notable attendees included Dr. Suela Janina, Albania’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr., his chief of staff Ornela Beshiri, and Kosovo’s Consul Fatmir Zajmi in Manhattan. Dr. Janina praised the founders, teachers, parents, and students for their immense efforts in preserving the Albanian language, culture, and history.
On May 22, the “Alba Life” schools were historically and nationally recognized as Ambassadors of the Nation across New York and online. This marked the first time in American political history that Albanian schools received such high-level governmental recognition, instilling pride among the Albanian-American community.
Kosovo’s Consul Fatmir Zajmi and Ornela Beshiri also expressed their appreciation and encouraged continued support for this national mission. Founder and director Qemal Zylo thanked everyone for their participation and highlighted various activities conducted by the schools throughout the year, including participation in several notable events and festivals.
Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. awarded a resolution of appreciation to all teachers for the 2023-2024 academic year. He acknowledged the significant efforts of the teachers in promoting the Albanian language, culture, and history, and the resolution was received with applause from all attendees.
The event was hosted by Bledar Maqellara, Edona Gjidiaj, and Kleant Hyseni, who conducted the program in fluent Albanian. The festival featured a variety of performances, including traditional Albanian songs and dances, with contributions from students across different schools.
