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Schools

Albi Koleci 'Never Gives Up'

The winner of Tuttle's fifth grade spelling bee believes in himself.

Name: Albion (Albi) Koleci

Age: 11; Fifth Grader

Albi Koleci was nominated as an East Haven Patch Whiz Kid by his teacher, Alice Cleto.

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With high praise for her student, Cleto said with a smile, “Albi is a conscientious student. He has the ability to apply himself to each task and should receive much satisfaction from his school experiences. I am so proud of him for winning this year’s fifth grade spelling bee.”

According to his Tuttle yearbook, some of Albi's favorite foods are pasta with meatballs, Mounds candy bars and mint chocolate chip ice cream. He loves actor Jim Carey, musical group Black Eyed Peas and his favorite movie of all time is "Old Dogs."

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He has two favorite quotes: "work smarter, not harder" and "Never give up," which was inspired encouragement from his maternal grandparents.

Activities:

This young man loves sports and has participated since he was very young. An avid soccer player for six years now, Albi was a key player of a champion finalist team in the 2011 Clinton Youth Soccer Tournament and also a member and key player of East haven's U-12 Soccer Team.

This coming November, he will be vying for his Junior Black Belt in Karate, for which he has already received his third stripe. He began taking Kempo Karate at the age of five.

Other Interests:

An avid reader, Albi's favorite book is "Percy Jackson and The Lightening Thief."

He also enjoys playing Wiffle ball with his friends and siblings, participating in running marathons, bowling, and spending time with family and his pets. He has a cat named Dawkins and a dog named Ninja.

When it comes to football, Albi is a big fan of the Philadelphia Eagles; NFL player DeSean Jackson is one of his favorites.

Future Plans:

In the fall, Albi will be attending as a sixth grader. After high school, he’d like to go to college at Yale University and become a veterinarian, and also has aspirations of one day becoming a professional soccer player.

Accomplishments:

As a student, Albi’s academic accomplishments span several subjects. Not only was he Tuttle’s first place Blue Ribbon winner of this years’ spelling bee, he also received awards at his stepping up ceremony on June 24 for achieving straight A's all year long in the areas of spelling, reading and social studies.

Cleto, his teacher, also awarded him "The Most Inquisitive" student in her class, because of his constant desire to learn all that he can.

Albi's mom, Elisa Tuozolli, has much to add when it comes to her pride as his mother.

"I am very blessed Albion is my son," she said. "I know there are many talented kids out there, but Albi is the kind of kid who leaves a great and lasting impression."

"He posseses wonderful qualities such as leadership, determination and compassion. His travel experiences have also developed him into a well-rounded individual. He has travelled to Puerto Rico, Mexico, Aruba and a number of the states and also experienced a Nickelodean Cruise," she added. "As a birthday celebration we went parasailing over Cape May, NJ. He is interested in learning new languages and enjoys meeting new people."

Key to Awesomeness:

Tuozolli believes her son’s key to awesomeness is his amazing way to adjust to situations in life. 

“He is a pretty amazing kid," she said. "Being part of two families in two different cultures with lots of diversity and four siblings has made him a very strong and well-rounded child. He is a wonderful brother to his three younger sisters; Adrina, 4, on mom's side; Adora, 3, Arbesa, 8, and brother Arbi, 6, on his dad's side of the family." 

According to his mom, Albi was able to cope very well with the losses of two grandparents within the last year. His paternal grandfather lost his life in a tragic motor vehicle accident and in November he suffered the loss of his grandmother to liver cancer. Albi lived with her until he was five years old. 

“He is always moving forward with such a positive attitude," Tuozolli said. "When Albi puts his mind to something, he won't stop until he succeeds. His most entertaining quality is the way he respectfuly argues his way out of a situation; with a teacher, a referee or even his parents."

When asked what Albi thought made him so awesome, he replied, “I believe in what I can do, and I try my hardest at everything I do.”

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