Interview by Mira Bekar

“I recommend trying to focus on those things that keep you motivated, and sustain your motivation with that passion that fuels it”

Personal and professional background

Mira (Interviewer): Could you share more about your journey into public affairs and what motivated you to work internationally? You have worked in various parts of the world such as Gabon, Brazil and the Cook Islands. Could you also tell us more about your educational and professional background?

Ms. Prin: I’ve always loved languages, since I was very little. In my high school, I was the only student who took every language class they offered! I also love seeing new places, especially going somewhere that isn’t a “typical” tourist location. We didn’t have a lot of money growing up, but my parents tried to give us opportunities to travel through finding international scholarships and getting local organizations to sponsor our study abroad. But my first love is music, and so I decided to put these three passions together for my career. 

I went to IU—Indiana University—and did something called the “Individualized Major,” a program that allows students to design a degree that doesn’t exist in the regular curriculum. So my degree is in International Music Business. After graduation, I worked in the global music industry for thirteen years; I produced albums and worked with some of the most talented musicians and artists in the world. And then, after a while, I decided to make a change and work in service of my country. I heard from a colleague about cultural attachés at the State Department, and it seemed like the perfect fit for a music lover who spoke a bunch of languages.  So now, instead of bringing world music to U.S. audiences, I’m bringing my native culture to new audiences and getting to appreciate living all over the planet. It’s been a wonderful second career, and especially rewarding.

Activities

Mira (Interviewer): We are familiar with your support and involvement in projects such as: Improve Welfare through Volunteerism project as an animal lover, a Voice for Young People, and Europe Democracy Network. Youth activism is a cause you seem really passionate about—what specific initiatives or changes do you see as most impactful for young people today?

Ms. Prin: First of all, thank you for mentioning our volunteerism project and giving me an opportunity to mention the importance of taking care of our animal friends. I am very passionate about making a difference wherever we can, however small. That’s the message I have for young people today—don’t be afraid to start small to effect change on a local level. You may not be able to clean up every city street, but maybe you can clean up the one you live on. You may not be able to adopt every stray animal that deserves a loving home, but maybe you can save just one.  

When you are active locally, when you volunteer or make a small sacrifice for something, you will see that it’s not as difficult to make a difference as you may have thought. And then, the more you do, the more you inspire others. And that’s when the big changes happen. That’s when you start to shake the world. 

I’ll also say that the most impactful changes are the ones that are the most meaningful to you.  So if you care deeply about a specific issue, that’s where you should start.  Your passion will keep you going, and motivate others to help you.  The U.S. Embassy recently gave a grant to an organization to educate the community in Ohrid about composting, which is an important, sustainable way to reduce waste and pollution.  The enthusiasm and commitment of this grantee, AGRO ECOLAJF, is why I know it will succeed.  That’s the same reason why our Cities for Humanity and Lajka project is also so inspiring—those volunteers really believe in their work and are doing amazing things every day.  Those are the ways that we can make a lasting impact.

Mira (Interviewer): Have you had the opportunity to delve into our country's educational policies? Coming from the higher education sector, we are deeply impacted by the issue of brain drain. I know you have been asked this question frequently. Since brain drain is a global problem, could you please focus more on how other countries you lived and worked in have approached and addressed this challenge?

Ms. Prin: Brain drain is a very real problem and, as you mention, affects countries everywhere.  One successful approach, and one we are trying to support here in North Macedonia, is not just improving economic opportunities and promoting entrepreneurship, but also connecting successful business owners to aspiring ones.  Programs like the “Academy of Women Entrepreneurs,” for example, which links mentors and mentees to grow and develop their businesses, are a wonderful way to show what you can achieve locally.  That’s not to say that global networks aren’t important—that’s another way to combat brain drain, with international engagement that values local partners and taps into regional expertise. 

Corruption is a real enemy of talent retention as well.  People need to believe in meritocracy and know their hard work and skills will be rewarded.  So working for equal opportunities and transparency in hiring processes is critical to show new generations that they can succeed at home.

Mira (Interviewer): In a recent “A Voice for Young People” chitchat you said that the American Embassy has a list of priorities it follows. Could you tell us more about the US Embassy's current priorities in regard to our country R. N. Macedonia or the region?

Ms. Prin: Of course! The Department of State has a planning process that tasks Embassies around the world to create what is called an “Integrated Country Strategy.”  This is a public document that you can find on the Internet, and it is the framework we use for all of our work in the country.  It’s how we decide what grants to fund, what programs to support, and what areas to focus on.  For North Macedonia, these include strengthening our partnership in many areas, such as fighting corruption, economic and defense cooperation, promoting sustainable energy solutions and countering disinformation, working towards EU integration, and my favorite as we’ve already mentioned, incentivizing youth to contribute to your country’s future.

Mira (Interviewer): As a Fulbright alumna myself, who also completed the PhD at a high-quality university in the US, I returned home with a strong commitment to contribute to my country’s growth. Many intelligent and talented people here invest tremendous energy and effort, yet progress remains limited, and the country has struggled through 33 years of transition. Despite numerous rule-of-law initiatives and anti-corruption projects, it often feels like real implementation is lacking. In your experience, what do you see as the main reasons behind this stagnation?

Ms. Prin: Congratulations on your Fulbright, and your doctorate! That’s an amazing achievement. 

As for your question, I’m not sure I would characterize the situation as stagnation, but certainly things never move as quickly as we would like. As I mentioned earlier, fighting corruption is one of our priorities here. So that’s a question we ask ourselves all the time—what is working and what isn’t?  How can we make a difference and think creatively about things that haven’t changed as much as we would have expected? That doesn't mean that it’s not getting better though. I’m going to refer to something that our Assistant Secretary Jim O’Brien said last year when he visited Skopje: everything needs to work together, and it doesn’t happen overnight. We don’t sanction an individual and magically corruption disappears. It takes time to change a culture, but it happens. It also takes citizen involvement.  The people of North Macedonia deserve progress in these areas and need to hold institutions and individuals accountable when they don’t deliver.

Mira (Interviewer): At the moment the world is not what we have imagined. It is actually the opposite, with so many areas affected by wars, economic disparity, unequal access to basic services etc. In such a world marked by challenges like COVID-19, climate change, ongoing conflicts, and widespread uncertainty, what message or guidance would you offer to young people striving to make a difference and build their future?

Ms. Prin: I feel this. In my career, I’ve worked with horrific tragedies—natural disasters and terrorist attacks, a war, pandemics, and it’s easy to feel discouraged and anxious about the present and the future.

There is a quote in Tolkien’s book The Fellowship of the Ring—you may have seen the movie, it’s in there too—where our hero Frodo is learning about the return of evil to his land, and says basically that he wishes this hadn’t happened in his time. And his wizard friend Gandalf responds (I’m paraphrasing here) “Me too, and so does everyone else alive!” But then he goes on to say, and this is the direct quote “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” And Gandalf is right (as he usually is). And the word “time” here means your generation, your era, but it also means your actual time, your life and energy, your every day. 

What are you going to do with that time that you’ve been given today? Are you going to doomscroll the internet and wallow in negativity, or are you going to explore how you can make a difference, even a small difference? Because a lot of small improvements add up to big ones, and it is very possible to change things once you get started. Change your life by waking up 30 minutes earlier to do the one thing you never have time for, for example.  Change someone else’s life with kindness and attention. Simple things have big consequences.

Mira (Interviewer): It is a specific generation struggle…

Ms. Prin: Every generation has unique and challenging times they live in, and sometimes it’s really hard to believe that better times are ahead, or that things will ever be set right. So you have to make the same decision as Frodo. Do you go hunker down in your hobbit hole and worry, or do you step outside and start your personal quest, whatever that may be, to make a difference? And remember to be proud of yourself for those positive changes you make, big or small.

Reflections and future goals

Mira (Interviewer): You have been recognized as a valuable partner to MAAA, always ready to support or encourage our activities. Could you point out some of the recent activities that you found extremely relevant and what would you like to collaborate on in future?

Ms. Prin: I’m so impressed with MAAA—your numerous activities, the great work you do with our grants, particularly engaging youth and fostering leadership, and how you have served as a model to the entire region of the very best an alumni association has to offer. I think the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs work you have done is incredible, and that’s something very relevant to not only building talent and combating brain drain, but also empowering young women to follow their dreams. So big kudos to MAAA for that.

In the future, I would like to see MAAA (and the Embassy!) get out of the cities more, get to some of the parts of North Macedonia that we don’t often get to, talk to people in towns and villages without an American Corner, for example, and hear what’s on their mind. One of the things I’m focusing on in the coming months is traveling more myself, to meet more people and see how the Embassy can be more involved with engaging in areas where we rarely have a chance to visit. So let’s figure out how we can work together to do that!

Mira (Interviewer): A final thought on how you stay motivated and resilient when working on complex issues, especially when progress and change are uncertain? Or how do you balance maintaining optimism and impact in your role in challenging contexts?

Ms. Prin: I’m lucky that I was born an optimist, so that is just part of my personality. And the best way to stay motivated and resilient is to be passionate about what you’re doing. If you are tackling something because you love it, or care deeply about the results, or feel it’s important, the motivation comes naturally. So I recommend trying to focus on those things that keep you motivated, and sustain your motivation with that passion that fuels it. I’ve talked to a lot of students in my career, and I always say the key to success is motivation. In all aspects of life. 

The opposite of that is true as well. While you can’t always avoid issues that don’t motivate you, you can choose to prioritize your focus elsewhere. Think of it like homework. You have to do it all. But say you love English and you hate math, get the math done as well and as quickly as possible so you can really turn your attention to the language of Shakespeare, instead of having that algebra hang over your head and ruin your day. Focus on small successes, reward yourself for any progress. Some people write novels at 1,000 words a day.  Some write at 100 words a day. But the end result is the same—you wrote the book you wanted to write, and you should be proud of it.