Drenusha Krasniqi Vanmeter, a Prishtina-born scientist and researcher at Harvard Medical School, is making a huge impact beyond the lab! Recently accepted into the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine—one of only 32 students globally—Drenusha has taken on another mission: bringing books to young readers in Kosova.

Through her efforts, the Boston Public Library network is now donating books to Prishtina’s first Children’s Library. With the help of Albanian-American volunteers in Boston, she has organized a massive shipment of books, collecting donations from libraries hours apart to fill a container bound for Kosova.

Beyond her work in ophthalmology and neuroscience, Drenusha is also an advocate for social justice. She founded Beyond the Shadows to amplify the voices of Kosova’s wartime sexual violence survivors. Now, she’s bridging Boston and Prishtina through the power of books!

This incredible initiative is part of a larger effort led by Kristale Ivezaj Rama, an Albanian-American from Detroit and the wife of Prishtina’s mayor. She has made it her mission to build the city’s first Children’s Library and has engaged Library Project Kosova to bring it to life.