The Iowa State University Graduate College published a story "Iowa State brings good memories to graduate student Albulena Basha" May 14.
"The semester before graduating from Iowa State University, with master’s degrees in economics and sustainable agriculture, Albulena Basha reviewed the Graduate College’s deadlines. After some internal debate, she decided to defend her thesis on April 1. That date hadn’t always brought positive memories for Basha: On April 1, 1999, she and her family were forcefully removed from their home in Kosovo by the Serbian paramilitary.
“I thought, do I really want to associate my defense with something that bad?” Basha said. “For some time, I thought maybe I shouldn’t do it, but then eventually I thought maybe it’s good to do it, because now I have something nice to remember that day by.” Read the story.