VOLUME 13, NO. 1     DEC 1999

Stefani '98 speaks for refugees

Thousands of Kosovar refugees arriving at Fort Dix, N.J., in June were relieved to find shelter, hot food--and a warm welcome from a smiling young man in a Red Cross vest. To their surprise, he greeted them in perfect Albanian, then proceeded to interpret in fluent English, helping the bewildered refugees make sense of their first days in a strange land.

Tomi Stefani was born in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and came to the United States with his family in 1993 speaking no English. He took ESL classes at Clark University and found American TV a big help in mastering the language. Stefani soon had enough command of English to enter WPI as a transfer student in civil engineering to continue the studies he had begun in Albania. He graduated with distinction in 1998 and found a job with Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH) in Burlington, Mass., a consulting firm that specializes in acoustics and vibration control. He is now working on the acoustic dynamics of the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel Project. This fall he entered the master's degree program in civil engineering at WPI.

Stefani volunteered with the American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts as soon as he heard of the need for bilingual interpreters. "Two days after they called me, I was on a plane to Fort Dix," he says. "They put me to work right away. We were supposed to work in 10-hour shifts, but those 10 hours passed right by, and we just kept on going and going. Some days we started at five in the morning and didn't leave the base to go back to the hotel until 10 or 11 at night."

As planeloads of up to 500 refugees disembarked at the military base, Stefani interpreted for customs and immigration officials and translated medical information for doctors and nurses. The refugees came off the plane exhausted and dirty, he recalls, often suffering from exposure and dehydration after being driven from their homes and enduring harsh conditions in makeshift camps. Some were surprised to find themselves in New Jersey, since they had asked to go to Germany or Australia

"They were not panicked," he says, "but many were crying as they walked in--even the men." Stefani did his best to reassure them. His Red Cross vest, he found, got the message across even faster than words. "When you have that vest on, with the big red cross on the back--people know what that means!"

Although he is not from Kosovo and has no relatives there, Stefani empathizes with the plight of the ethnic Albanians who were driven from that region. "Everybody is upset when they open the newspaper and read about what's happening in Kosovo," he says. "But when you're right there hearing people crying, telling their own stories, talking about being separated from their children, or looking for relatives who are still missing, it's very sad."

The refugees were grateful for the box lunches and drinks that volunteers handed out, but some tried to grab more from the pile. "They didn't know what to expect," Stefani explains sympathetically. "They were used to conditions in Macedonia or the other refugee camps, where they were sleeping outside in the rain and didn't have water to wash with."

By the end of the two weeks, almost 3,000 refugees had come through Fort Dix. Some were transported to other parts of the country to live with sponsors. Stefani has kept in touch with several by e-mail. He predicts that many will choose to return to Kosovo once the situation is secure.

Back in Worcester, Stefani plans to help local refugee families learn English and adjust to life in America. If the opportunity arises, he would like to spend a few years in Eastern Europe using his engineering skills to rebuild the war damage. Despite the sad stories, Stefani is glad he was able to help. "I hope people will remember that there were Albanian people there, helping them when they needed it. They may not recall my name, but I hope they will always remember the efforts of everyone there."

--Joan Killough-Miller