FBU-2014-02-28

Date of Interview

2-28-2014

Interview Location

St. Louis, MO

Length of Interview

35:38

Gender

Female

Religion and/or Ethnicity

None Given

Description

Education coordinator & teacher for the International Institute since the early 1990s, Welcomed the very first way of Bosnian refugees among others, Continues to work with the institute now for over 25 years, Remembers the earliest refugees having a overwhelming sense of loss, Loss of community, Loss of identity, Loss of culture, Loss of everything, Fostered the professional and personal growth of these refugees by providing resources to learn English, Helped refugees gain employment in areas where their skills were already exhibited honed skills such as manufacturing due to vocational schools in Bosnia being extensive, Describes refugees from Bosnian as full of humor, Hard working with an excellent work ethic, Focused on a strong family unit, Refugees revitalized dying parts of St. Louis including Bevo Mill among others, Integrating into the city becoming Realtors, Contractors while also integrating Bosnia into St. Louis by opening shops and Bosnian owned businesses, Amazed to be able to see her work as a educator come to fruition with Bosnian becoming a part of St. Louis in a positive light, Feels that Bosnians opened doors for other refugees from other countries as they were more accepted by the community since they looked similar to Americans and they portrayed positive traits that could be embraced

Keywords

International Institute, United States, St. Louis [MO], South County, Bevo Mill, Resettlement, Educating Bosnians, Future challenges

Document Type

Oral History

Collection

Fontbonne University

Digital Format

MP3

Digital Publisher

Center for Bosnian Studies

City

St. Louis, MO

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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.