Denis Preka
March 20, 1997 - March 19, 2019
Denis Preka was born in Bolzano, Italy, and came to this country with his mother when he was one year old. He went to St. Lawrence Catholic School and later attended high school at De La Salle Collegiate. Denis graduated with honors, founded the club Model United Nations and participated in soccer, lacrosse, track and field, and swimming. He continued his academic career at the University of Detroit Mercy, majoring in both Psychology and Business. There, he founded Model United Nations as well as the Albanian American Student Organization. Later, he transferred to his dream school, the University of Michigan. He aspired to, more than anything, attend the Ross School of Business and pursue a career in Business Law.
Teachers and colleagues would describe him as a passionate and driven young man. Denis was absolutely brilliant. He saw so much of this world and had ideas far beyond that of anyone his age. He spoke four languages, played the guitar, and had a vast knowledge of psychology and philosophy. Denis also loved to travel and founded his own travel agency, Amerigo Travel. His family and friends would describe him as the most loving person you would ever meet. Denis was filled with so much love for life and had a special ability to connect deeply with anyone he crossed paths with.
When he was an intern at Quicken Loans, he volunteered with Summer in the City Detroit, a non-profit organization that works to revitalize the city and bring together its youth. Denis always fondly recalled his experience volunteering with the kids. It had a profound impact on him, so much so that he founded Amerigo Gives, a company that was going to partner with Summer in the City to send one young adult in Detroit on a trip to anywhere in the world. Denis’s life was cut far too short, and the world lost out on the incredible capabilities of his heart and mind. But his legacy will live on forever. To our love, our soul, our strength, we live for you now and to carry on what you left behind.
