Title
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
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by the Center for Bosnian Studies for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.
Rights Statement
