Born in Albania to a family that suffered decades of political persecution under the communist regime, Ledina does not take good governance for granted. The planned economy dictated everything from food rations to occupation choice for Ledina's father, a professor, and her mother, a zootechnic expert on a farm cooperative.
Ledina immigrated to the United States with her family when she was eight years old. Deprived of liberty for so long, Ledina knew how systems and institutions could change lives and she was determined to use that knowledge to help others in her new home.
After graduating with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from Princeton University, her research on the institutional response to the sovereign debt crisis led to a presentation at the International Political Science Association's World Congress and was published in a peer-reviewed journal. The 2008 financial crisis compelled her to acquire the skills needed to enact effective financial regulation.
Now a student at Harvard Law School, Ledina researches the design and administration of the complex supervisory system of financial institutions in the United States. Her aim is to enhance financial stability in the United States while working for greater public awareness of the country's financial system. After law school, Ledina will clerk for Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
