Ajla Grozdanic

About Ajla

• Born in Bosnia, she was a child when the Bosnian war broke out.
• While visiting her grandparents in another town, the border to her country was shut down and she ended up getting separated from her parents for two years without any contact.
• Eventually, her family was forced to flee the country and they were brought as refugees to Germany.
• For three years, they lived in Germany in a cramped wooden barrack alongside a dozen other families—says she looks back on this time with positivity because her family was safe and together.
• Placed in a school that was not designed to prepare her for college—she successfully petitioned her teachers and was sent to another school so she could go to college.
• Her family eventually resettled in the U.S.—says her experiences fleeing Bosnia as a child inspired her to either become a journalist or work for the United Nations.
• After getting her master’s degree, she worked as a journalist for a while, but decided to switch course and started working in communications for nonprofit organizations.
• She now works for the United Nations Development Programme—says she still can’t believe she achieved her childhood dream.