About Mentor Dida

I’m a people person who always gets excited about new ideas and possibilities to design meaningful solutions to advance humanity. Advancing humanity is dear to my heart because after having lived through the 1999 Kosovo war, I realized that the real problems were not the people who caused the problems, but those who did not do anything about them. I’m a firm believer that all of our problems are just opportunities that we have not designed the right solutions yet; and it all starts with ourselves and individual transformation.

While I was an engineering student, I had a realization that the world does not need more engineers but the world needs more compassionate people because engineers without compassion create atomic bombs that could end life as we know it. That moment triggered an inner drive in me to take many leadership roles including co-founding 5 student organization, leading a university initiative, serving as a student senator, and co-founding three non-profit organizations impacting tens of thousands of individuals. I received a graduate degree in Global Technology and Entrepreneurship at Arizona State University the #1 University in innovation for the last 4 years. My graduate thesis was studying the human-centered design approach to problem-solving; where I got to master the art of  supporting individual transformation and collective problem solving.  

I’ve received some recognitions including Outstanding Student of the Year and Graduate Commencement Student Speaker. I’ve received the prestigious Pitchfork award as the Outstanding Graduate Student Leader for leading the Two Dollar Challenge movement at Arizona State University. Also, been recognized with Impact awards from Walton Foundation, Rhize Fellow, Lean Six Sigma Black and Green Belt, and much more.

All of this led me to Ashoka, the world’s pioneer network of system-changing social entrepreneurs, and its mission to catalyze a future in which everyone has the necessary tools and knowledge to drive social change. At Ashoka I learned about a systematic approach towards movement building as well as how to create the necessary experiences for individual transformation. Everyone who works in social change knows Ashoka because it is the organization that started the field of social entrepreneurship and is always featured on Top 5 most impactful NGO’s list. 

In Kosovo we have started the Sustainability Leadership Kosova organization where we aim to make Kosovo an example of a country that is sustainable. My role there is one of a movement builder where we are mobilizing Kosovo changemakers towards system and framework change in society. Through this, we have launched #PerTeMiren campaign to promote, mobilize, unite, and acknowledge changemakers in Kosovo. 

What I do best is helping individuals and groups to find the power inside of themselves to create change as well as build and mobilize communities towards a larger vision for the good of all. My life’s mission is to ensure that wellbeing is prioritized in society so we can have a world filled with compassionate leaders and empathic solutions. 

Let’s connect and see how we can serve our beautiful world!