Mizar Turdiu

Her father’s inspirational life story propelled Mizar Turdiu to pursue a career in journalism, where she made waves as an anchor and radio talk-show host.

Mizar Turdiu could not be the Albanian American she is today without the influence of her father, Ramazan Turdiu. Ramazan fought for his beloved countrymen in Kosova before fleeing from certain execution in 1944. While exiled in Italy for twelve years, he earned his Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Bologna, got married, and moved to the United States with his young wife. In the states, he earned a Master’s from Columbia University, became a pharmacist, and settled into yet another life in Brooklyn, New York, where Mizar Turdiu’s story begins. Mizar’s father followed the fate of Albanians in Kosova and in Albania anxiously. He was a principled and outspoken man; Mizar grew up watching and learning from him. He taught her what it means to be Albanian, and he taught her to be proud of her culture and the Albanian history. Mizar earned her degree in