Nertila Koni ’09 was a little late arriving in Spain for her St. Lawrence semester last spring. The Albania native was not yet a U.S. citizen, and her Visa had not taken effect. So she got herself to Salamanca, where she had to find her hotel alone. “It was definitely scary at first,” Koni says. “But I needed the next step for Spanish. Immersing myself in the culture made me better at the language.”

Both in Spain and at home, understanding the people around her has always been of extreme importance to Nertila. “I live in Queens, and I knew learning Spanish would help me be better at communicating,” says the Grover Cleveland High School graduate.

Nertila is a McNair Scholar, admitted to a summer research program created in memory of the first African American to fly in space and who died in the Challenger explosion.  The program is for first-generation college students from underrepresented populations who meet income guidelines and want to pursue graduate study.  She chose to do her research on human trafficking in Europe, something she saw often while growing up. “I was always afraid that I was going to get trafficked because my parents weren’t well off, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to go to university,” she notes.

“It was very discouraging, but it also got me to thinking more about what I can do to make a difference, and about continuing my research in other parts of the world, like Africa,” Nertila says.

Not only was Nertila, a sociology and Spanish double major, able to attend a university, but she’s also presented her research in Canada, the U.S. and on the St. Lawrence campus. She plans to pursue a career rooted in helping others. She has considered “Teach for America,” a two-year commitment that involves placing educators in poor, inner-city schools, as well as pursuing social work.