Student Profile: Eltjana Plaku, MPP Class of 2026

“I’ve always had a passion for working with numbers,” says Eltjana Plaku, MPP Class of 2026. “Growing up in Albania, which had been under a Communist regime until 1992 and was transitioning to a market economy, I saw firsthand the potential of economic development. Studying finance as an undergraduate made perfect sense given the growing opportunities in Albania's financial sector.”

After earning her undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Tirana, Plaku worked for NexumStp SpA, a consulting firm. “I started as an accounting clerk and within a year was promoted to managing the accounting team: the company recognized the relationships I cultivated helped keep the team engaged and motivated.”

While at NexumStp SpA, Plaku also volunteered with organizations tackling youth employment issues in Albania, which sparked her interest in economic policies and development opportunities—and inspired her to apply for an Erasmus Mundus scholarship, which supports talented youth from developing countries.

Plaku received an Erasmus scholarship to study in Italy and France and earned her master’s in economic policies, development, and innovation, with an emphasis on education policy, jointly from the University of Turin and the University of Paris.

When she returned to Albania, Plaku was approached by Swisscontact Albania, an international nonprofit organization focusing on sustainable development in developing and emerging economies. “They valued that my master’s thesis focused on vocational education and appreciated my analytical and data skills. I joined them as a consultant for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and was soon promoted to M&E expert, where I worked on one of the biggest donor-funded education development projects in Albania.”

 Plaku said she has learned a lot about foreign aid and donor-funded projects in developing countries—and how projects can fall short. “Once I recognized sustainability with economic development was a challenge, I realized I needed more robust analytical data skills to tackle it.”

To that end, Plaku began exploring programs in the U.S. “I had the European higher education experience, and I always admired U.S. universities for how they transform people personally and professionally.”

After researching graduate programs, Plaku said the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy Master of Public Policy (MPP) stood out. “The program’s flexibility to really focus on your interests was invaluable, and the rigor was critical. Some universities teach public policy and some data analysis, but not core analytical skills or advanced statistics. I wanted an intellectual challenge, something that would make a difference in my skills in the future. I believe Harris will be able to provide that.”

The Harris community also stood out for Plaku. “I appreciated the diverse body of students and how approachable the professors were. The level of interaction was remarkable. I feel like it will be easy to make friends and connections—and have a great level of support during my studies.”

Financial support was also an important consideration. “I wouldn't have been able to attend Harris with my own finances, and I was fortunate to earn a scholarship from the Albanian-American Foundation.”

One of the requirements for the scholarship, she said, was for applicants to share their vision of using their education for the future.

“My plans were informed by my work experience in Albania. The collaboration of the consulting firm I worked in with a local university provided great career development opportunities for the students. Similarly, the education project where I worked launched an apprenticeship initiative so high-school students could gain practical skills. The private sector was initially hesitant—until they recognized the value these students had as future employees. By the end of the initiative’s first year, private sector businesses had engaged with every single school in a win-win partnership. Inspired by these initiatives, I want to leverage my advanced analytical skills and expertise gained at the University of Chicago to support business growth while striving for positive social impact and a sustainable future.”