BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 1, 2018 23
Brooklyn tech student founds non-profit
to deliver books to the less fortunate
Photos courtesy of Dea Kurti
Dea Kurti founded the non-profit organization Novel Girls whose goal is to
send books focused on STEM and female empowerment to schools and libraries
Student Accounts- Checking & Savings
Our Student Banking Program1 is designed to fit the needs of today’s college students.
Our Student Statement Savings and Student Checking2 Accounts make it easy for
college students (depositor must be 18 years or older) to learn to save money. There’s
no monthly fee, no minimum balance requirement and only $1.00 to open the account.
Student Checking even has Unlimited check writing.
Ask Us for More Details!
(877) 786-6560 • myNYCB.com
1Student Banking is available for personal accounts only and is free of maintenance and activity fees.
2Student Checking Accounts with a Visa® debit card are automatically enrolled in the Even >more Rewards
Program. For complete terms and conditions speak with a branch representative. Restrictions apply.
© New York Community Bank- Member FDIC
BY JAIME DEJESUS
JDEJESUS@BROOKLYNREPORTER.COM
Giving back with the gift of
knowledge.
That is what 16-year-old
Brooklyn Technical High School student
Dea Kurti has done. In addition
to her studies and countless responsibilities
and activities at
her school, in July, 2017,
she also founded Novel
Girls, a non-profit that
hosts book drives, and
sends books about STEM
or women empowerment
to schools and libraries
around the world.
Kurti, who spent four
years of her childhood
in Albania, was inspired
by her parents who are
immigrants from there.
“Growing up in New
York, it’s a very active type
of place and I never felt
disconnected from the world because
of being a woman but I know that little
girls out there don’t have the same
feeling and don’t feel empowered or
liberated due to their countries and
whatever it may be,” she said. “My
parents are both immigrants from
Albania and I hear stories from them.
They didn’t grow up like I did. My
family on both sides were denied education.
There were things that stopped
them from being able to have access to
education so that’s what inspired me.”
She started the non-profit at Brooklyn
Tech, which was easy, she said,
due to its large student body and her
enthusiastic friends.
Kurti, now a junior, came up with
the idea a year ago and has already
been able to raise a lot of money.
“The big drive was in November
in my school. We raised $30,000 for
books so that was a really big milestone
and really exciting to see so
many kids excited to help,” she said.
Not only that, "People reached out
and were like, ‘Hey we want to start
it at our school.’ Most are in New York
City, but there are couple upstate and
out of state.”
Kurti is in student government,
which helped her spread the idea.
She was also aided by one of the
school's assistant principals, who she
approached with the idea. “I told Ms.
Kelly Nottingham the idea and she
loved it," Kurti
recalled. "She
said, ‘Let’s do it’
and that’s when
it took off. I have a lot of people helping
me with it, volunteers helping with
packing and shipping and receiving
donations.”
Kurti’s parents also helped out.
“When I told them about the idea,
they actually went to Albania and
hand-delivered boxes of books to
schools where I have cousins,” she
said. “They were really happy about
it. They’re proud.”
Kurti’s main motivation was hearing
about those less fortunate, especially
in Albania. “It made it feel like I
had to give back," she said. "It felt more
like a moral obligation than something
to do for fun.”
Novel Girls is currently sending
books to Albania, Ukraine, the Philippines
and India. Books will be sent to
South Africa and Thailand following
the next book drive.
So far, the feedback has been very
positive.
“I get a lot of emails,” Kurti said. “The
people in these countries don’t have
a lot of internet access so it’s difficult
but I have received some. Also, some
schools send thank-you cards and photos,
and that makes me really happy.”
Balancing her studies and activities
— including being speaker of
the school assembly and a member
of the varsity volleyball and chess
teams — with getting Novel Girls off
the ground has been challenging.
“But there are 24 hours in a day,” she
said.
Kurti plans to continue Novel Girls
when she heads to college to study biotechnology.
A website that will allow
people from all over the country to
contribute is in the works.
“If you want to make a difference,
just go for it,” she said. “You can start
small. Just go out there and try it.”
around the world.