{"id":24205,"date":"2021-11-03T09:49:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T08:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/?p=24205"},"modified":"2021-11-03T10:57:04","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T09:57:04","slug":"from-the-hague-to-tirana-the-inspirational-story-of-an-albanian-law-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/euronews.al\/en\/from-the-hague-to-tirana-the-inspirational-story-of-an-albanian-law-student\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Hague to Tirana, the inspirational story of an Albanian law student"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many Albanian students studying abroad is a dream, but also a challenge. Arlind Ahmetaj is one of those who actually made it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI left Albania when I was fifteen,\u201d Arlind tells us. Afterward, he won a scholarship in one of Europe\u2019s top-ranked colleges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI studied in an American college in Belgium\u201d, reveals Arlind. His hard work eventually paid off and he even received a congratulatory letter signed by then US President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a special feeling in fact as it caught me unprepared. I didn\u2019t know that the school was giving this award, so let\u2019s say it was twice as good of an experience, on one hand, it wasn\u2019t my intent to get this title, but it was more of an appreciation for the considerable work I had done during those three years\u201d, Ahmetaj says.<\/p>\n

He explains that the prize is only awarded to a very limited number of students, put in numbers, less than around 0.1% of all students studying in the United States.<\/p>\n

After graduating, he did not think much about what to do next. \u201cPublic speaking has always been a passion of mine, I\u2019ve always been passionate about communicating with people, and I did a sort of an assessment of what I considered as my strongest points, so I got into law\u201d.<\/p>\n

His excellent grades got him through The Hague University, and then follow up his master’s studies in one of the most coveted universities in the world for law.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike The Hague University, even the University College of London, where I earned my Master\u2019s degree, are both quite challenging to get admitted, especially the latter which is one of the six best universities in the world in the field of justice. At The Hague University, we were initially 500 students, and when I graduated, there were only 60 of us left\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n

After completing his studies, he was hired at the Court of The Hague.<\/p>\n

But what made him leave the Netherlands and one of the most prestigious courts in the world, in exchange for Albania?<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to give my modest contribution to Albania, become a lawyer, and get into juridical matters in Albania. This is the reason why I gave Albania a chance and I haven\u2019t regretted that\u201d, he says.<\/p>\n

After 5 years, Arlind Ahmetaj works in one of the largest law firms in the country but continues to be quite engaged in causes that are actually tangible for citizens.<\/p>\n

Arlind reiterates he never regretted his decision to return to his home country, and also has a message to all other youngsters that are facing similar dilemmas, to which he found a solution 5 years ago:<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom my 5-years experience, I\u2019ve noticed that every student who has the will to study, and is dedicated, but above all, love what he does, although it may seem a bit of a clich\u00e9, it\u2019s true, you can make it\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n

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