Lowell House Masters Take in Four Kosovar Refugees

When Sokol Zejnullahu fled his native Kosovo in March, he never expected that his journey would ultimately bring him to Lowell House at Harvard.

Sokol, age 15, his brother Kreshnik, and sisters Aida and Amella, 17, 18 and 20, respectively, have found a new home and family here at Harvard. The four were taken in this summer by Lowell House co-Masters Diana L. Eck and Dorothy A. Austin.

The Zejnullahus saw their father, a prominent doctor in the city of Peja, killed in their home by Serbian paramilitary members last November--just one year after their mother had died of cancer. The day of their father's funeral, they met Instructor of Psychiatry Ruth A. Barron and Assistant Professor of Medicine Jennifer Leaning, who were investigating crimes against doctors and health clinics in Kosovo for Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

"When we met the children, we expected just to shake their hands, but we ended up staying for three hours," Barron said. "They really wanted to talk to someone."

After returning to the United States, Barron and Leaning kept in touch with the Zejnullahus. When NATO bombing of Serb military installations in Yugoslavia began this year, the two went on a PHR mission to the Balkans to locate the many doctors and children who they had met during their investigations.

Barron and Leaning, who are members of the Lowell House Senior Common Room, located the Zejnullahus in Montenegro. They helped transport the four to Albania, and worked with the First Unitarian Parish of Concord, Mass., to bring the Zejnullahus to the United States in mid-July.

"I thought of Dorothy and Diana--how much space they had, their commitment to young people, and their warmth," Barron said. "We thought it would be a perfect match."

According to Austin, the decision to accept the young men and women into their household was made in a matter of days.

"We spent a lot of time thinking about this," Austin said. "It just seemed right."

"We want to give them a good home while they find their way in the United States and get an education," Eck added.

Sokol said he and his siblings appreciate the opportunity Eck and Austin have given them to remain together here in the United States.

"If you come alone to the States, it can be boring and tough at times," he said. "You can't resist it when you're alone."

According to Eck, the Zejnullahus have handled the transition to life in the United States very well, drawing strength from each other.

Sokol and Kreshnik are now attending Cambridge Ridge and Latin School, and are legally foster children of Eck and Austin. Aida and Amella are studying English through the Harvard Extension School. Amella is also attending Lesley College.

"They do normal teen stuff, like homework, preparing for their SATs, and learning how to drive," Eck said.

The Zejnullahus have even gotten a glimpse of some American celebrities in their time here in the United States. As a former National Humanities Medal recipient, Eck was invited to the awards ceremony this year at the White House, and she brought her new family with her to Washington.

The Zejnullahus saw President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, as well as medal recipients Steven Spielberg and Aretha Franklin, from the ceremony's front row.

Meanwhile, back in Kosovo, their extended family has begun to reassemble its life after the region's civil strife.

"Things are getting easier right now for them," Sokol said. "Much of Kosovo is destroyed, but they feel they have freedom now."

"It's hard to keep in contact with them because the telephones don't always work," he added.

Kreshnik said that he and his brothers and sisters plan on visiting their relatives in Kosovo when they receive the appropriate paperwork.