I'm Sonja Alushi, Co-Founder of Lumina Project, Albania's first AI consulting company and AI Product Developer at Lufthansa Industry Solutions. This summer, I will serve as Course Assistant at MIT for "LLM Applications and Agentic AI" with Professor David Martinez, and I am developing my own AI course to launch following this experience.

My professional journey exemplifies the evolution of modern software engineering, from enterprise Software Engineer developer to AI strategist and thought leader in practical AI adoption. At Lufthansa Industry Solutions, I specialize in building enterprise microservices with Java, Spring Boot, and Quarkus for aviation systems while leading AI transformation initiatives across the organization.

My career progression includes serving as AI Strategist and AI Product Manager at By The People Technologies in New York, where I developed RAG systems, built MCP servers, and created AI implementation strategies for financial services, private equity, venture capital, and pharmaceutical sectors. The technical work was essential, but what truly transformed organizations was training their teams to integrate AI into their workflows. Research processes that required three days were completed in three hours once analysts understood how to collaborate effectively with these systems.

As an AI educator and strategist, I design and deliver comprehensive workshops on AI implementation, prompt engineering, and workflow automation for businesses, foundations, banks, and government institutions. Through Lumina Project, I have trained over 100 professionals across Albanian government ministries, financial institutions, and enterprises in practical AI adoption.

I hold a MIT Executive Education certification in "AI Strategies & Roadmap: Systems Engineering Approach to AI Development & Deployment" and was a speaker at the National Research Conference (READ), where I presented "Artificial Intelligence in Albanian Business: Navigating Implementation Complexities and Market Limitations." My research examined why AI projects fail in emerging markets, revealing challenges that prove universal across developed and developing economies alike.

I also have served as Programming Coach at SDA Albania, where I mentored aspiring developers and guide them through the fundamentals of software engineering and AI integration.

What distinguishes my approach is the recognition that technical capability alone does not drive successful AI adoption. I have witnessed this truth across Wall Street trading floors, government ministries in Tirana, and manufacturing facilities in Europe. Organizations invest in sophisticated AI tools but struggle with implementation because they underinvest in training their workforce. The most advanced AI system delivers zero value if people cannot use it effectively.

My mission is to bridge this gap between AI capability and organizational competence. I build production-ready intelligent systems while simultaneously ensuring that teams understand how to deploy, maintain, and continuously improve them. Through hands-on training workshops, strategic consulting, and practical implementation support, I help organizations move beyond proof-of-concept projects to achieve measurable business outcomes.

I am passionate about making AI accessible to enterprise developers and business professionals, demonstrating that successful AI transformation requires equal investment in technology and people.