When I left Albania in the mid 90s at fourteen years old, my parents were searching for something many Albanian families were searching for at the time: opportunity. Like so many immigrants, we arrived in America with hope, uncertainty, and a willingness to work hard. The opportunities this country provided changed the course of my life. I built a career in banking, raised a family, and eventually founded Bota Consulting Group. All this with a lot of hard work and grit. Today, I look at my children and see what those sacrifices made possible. My son founded a technology company and raised millions of dollars from leading investors, an opportunity our family could never have imagined when we first arrived in America. My daughter recently graduated as a registered nurse. My youngest is growing up with opportunities that my parents dreamed of creating when they made the difficult decision to leave Albania.
Our story is not unique.
Across America and around the world, Albanian families have built businesses, educated their children, served their communities, and achieved remarkable success. We have become entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, executives, educators, public servants, and leaders in nearly every industry. That success should make us proud. But it should also make us ask an important question:
What responsibility comes with that success?
While many of us have prospered abroad, too many young people in Albania still believe they must leave to build a future. Brain drain, limited opportunities, and the absence of a strong middle class remain some of the country’s greatest challenges. The solution will not come from politicians alone. It will come from all of us. The Albanian diaspora possesses something incredibly valuable: experience, knowledge, networks, capital, and perspective. We understand both worlds. We know what opportunity looks like because we have lived it. Through Bota Consulting Group, I have seen firsthand how talented Albanians can compete with anyone in the world when given access to opportunity. Today, we help connect Albanian professionals with international businesses, creating pathways for growth, skill development, and global collaboration while allowing many to remain rooted in the communities they call home. Every opportunity created helps demonstrate that success does not have to come at the cost of leaving Albania behind.
But economic opportunity alone is not enough.
That is why I founded The Bleta Foundation. Our mission is to empower women, support education, encourage mentorship, and strengthen communities throughout Albania. We believe lasting change happens when people invest not only in businesses, but in people. Whether through education, professional development, community initiatives, or connecting the diaspora with local opportunities, our goal is to help create pathways for the next generation to succeed. The question is not whether Albania can become stronger.
The question is whether those of us who have benefited from success abroad are willing to help make it happen.
That does not always require large investments. Sometimes it means mentoring a young professional, creating a job, sharing expertise, supporting education, opening doors, or helping an entrepreneur take the next step. Our parents’ generation sacrificed so we could have opportunities. Our generation proved that Albanians can succeed anywhere. Perhaps the next chapter is helping create an Albania where success is increasingly possible at home. If enough of us contribute, even in small ways, by 2035 we may no longer be asking why our young people leave. We may be celebrating why they chose to stay and us maybe joining them. That is the Albania worth building. That is the legacy we choose to leave behind.
My parents left Albania to give their children a better future. My hope is that future generations will have the opportunity to build theirs without ever having to leave.
About the author
Lola Gazivoda is the Founder and CEO of Bota Consulting Group, a workforce solutions and advisory firm helping U.S. businesses scale while creating opportunities throughout Albania. She is also the Founder of The Bleta Foundation, a nonprofit focused on empowering women, supporting education, mentorship, and community development initiatives. A former Senior Vice President in Business Banking with nearly two decades of leadership experience, Lola held positions at M&T Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Capital One Bank, and the City of Yonkers. She has served on multiple business, banking, healthcare, and economic development boards and was recognized as a Business Council of Westchester 40 Under 40 Rising Star. Born in Shkodër, Albania, Lola immigrated to the United States at age fourteen without speaking English. Today, she is dedicated to strengthening the connection between Albania and its global diaspora while helping create opportunities for future generations through business, philanthropy, and community leadership.
For business inquiries or to learn more about Bota’s services, visit www.BotaConsultingGroup.com or contact Lola directly at lola@botaconsultinggroup.com.
Author: Lola Gazivoda
Lola Gazivoda is the founder and CEO of Bota Consulting Group (www.BotaConsultingGroup.com), an outsourcing firm connecting U.S. businesses with highly skilled Albanian professionals. Based in New York. Bota works with companies across a wide range of industries to build efficient, scalable teams that support day-to-day operations and long-term growth.
