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Bedrija Jazic: Helping other refugees start their lives anew
Bedrija Jazic
Photo: Dalila Jazic
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She came to the United States as a refugee herself. Now the head of a Church World Service resettlement affiliate, Bedrija Jazic is helping other refugees build new lives in their new community.
Jazic is one of six former refugees who now head CWS refugee resettlement offices in Fort Worth, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; Portland, Oregon; Harrisonburg, Virginia; Lincoln, Nebraska, and Denver, Colorado. Here is her profile.
Bedrija Jazic
Area Manager, Refugee Department
Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas
Columbia, South Carolina
Nationality: Bosnian.
Education: Bachelor's degree in English.
Profession in Bosnia-Herzegovina: High school English teacher.
Refugee story: Spent the 1992-95 Bosnian War in Sarajevo under siege, "teaching children English in the basements of their schools because we wanted them to be ready for the world once the war was over, and giving them hope." She also volunteered at a community center assisting internally displaced persons and refugees, then lived for a short time in Croatia before finding refuge in the United States.
Arrived in United States: July 18, 1996, to Columbia, S.C., with her husband and five-year-old daughter.
Sponsor: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, through LFS in the Carolinas.
Congregational cosponsor: "None, but as a volunteer interpreter with LFS from day one, I saw how great it was to have a cosponsoring church. You feel a tingle of envy when you see how people are blessed to have people visiting them, taking them out, helping them find jobs, taking care of their children."
First big surprise: "South Carolina humidity. The 104 degrees plus 100 percent humidity the day we arrived was a big-time shock."
Most challenging: "Getting used to living without our family and friends. I have a sister in Dallas, Texas. The rest of the family is still in Bosnia."
First U.S. job: Part-time receptionist at Lutheran Family Services in the Carolinas (October 1996).
Jobs with LFS: Office assistant, administrative assistant to the vice president for program, assistant to the VP for partnership initiatives, current position.
Languages: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, German, English.
Countries visited: Italy, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, England, Poland, Austria.
Country most want to visit next: Egypt. "I am fascinated by ancient Egyptian culture."
Heroes: "All the people who manage to survive war and still have trust and love for others."
Favorite books: Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor, The Egyptian by Mika Waltari.
Favorite movies: The Last of the Mohicans, The Red Violin, The Legend of the Fall.
Favorite music: Classic rock, jazz.
Interests outside of work: "Reading, traveling, spending time with my teenager."
Why should the United States welcome refugees? "It is important to give people another chance, to give them enough support to start their lives anew, and to accept them as they are."
Why do you help other refugees? "I know what it means to be a refugee and how hard it is at the beginning when you don't have anybody to help you. Sometimes it was quite enough that one person was nice enough to give me advice and direct me to an appropriate place. I decided, I can at least be that one person for others."
What is your first counsel to a newly arrived refugee? "Accept where you are. This is not your homeland, but it is your new home. Be patient, and be thankful."
First in a series of articles profiling former refugees who now head CWS resettlement affiliates.
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