RD leaves Bosnia for new life in Ohio
By Erica Blocher, Staff Writer
October 19, 2007 | 12:23 p.m.
Resident director and full-time graduate student Nadja Beglerovic has embarked on a journey that has taken her from war-torn Bosnia-Herzegovina to the United States, away from family and friends and to another life.
The beginning
Back in Sarajevo, Bosnia, in 1999, Nadja Berglerovic was a standout high-school sophomore who regularly competed in math and science competitions. Her trek to America was not even a deliberate one.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting to come to the U.S. to study and get an education,” Berglerovic said.
Her older sister wanted to attend college abroad, so her neighbor began looking for a scholarship for her sister. The neighbor stumbled upon a scholarship for a high school sophomore to come study in America, and the scholarship changed Berglerovic’s life forever.
In May she sent in her grades, wrote an essay and completed an interview at the American Embassy in Sarajevo, unsure of her chances of receiving this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There was no word for four months until one night in August, she received a phone call.
“Some American woman called our house asking for me, but she said my name wrong, leaving out the “j” sound, and I said she had the wrong number and had the wrong person. It was the first phone conversation I ever had in English.” Berglerovic said.
As fate would have it, the next day a Bosnian woman called and explained that Berglerovic had received a full scholarship to study in the United States. A month later her sister received a scholarship to attend college in Qatar. On Aug. 23, 1999, Berglerovic flew across the globe to Moorestown, N.J., to complete her junior and senior years in America, leaving her friends and family back in Bosnia.
A new journey
Berglerovic attended a private high school called Moorestown Friendship School and lived with a host family with whom she developed a very good relationship. She received her high school diploma but was unsure of what to do with her future. Eventually, she decided to apply to colleges and submitted a hefty number of applications.
“I applied to 23 different schools across the nation, but my goal was 30,” Berglerovic said. “I got accepted to 90 percent of the schools, but I didn’t want to take out loans so I had to attend a school that would give me a full scholarship.”
Berea College in Berea, Ky., was the last application that she completed on a whim at 5 a.m. after seeing an ad on her computer. This whim paid off. A few months later, Berglerovic and her host family returned from a day at the mall to find an acceptance letter from Berea College and a full scholarship attached.
“I loved Berea so much. It was a great place and so diverse. I loved living with my host family back in New Jersey, but by going to college I was able to become independent when I lived in the dorms,” Berglerovic said.
A host family was still provided for Nadja, but the family was more for support than for living quarters. Berglerovic spent time with the couple and their children, developing a close relationship because her hosts were only ten years older than she. She also maintained contact with her host family from New Jersey.
During her four years spent at Berea, Berglerovic served as a resident assistant for two years and later as a hall coordinator. She graduated, having completed all fours years on the dean’s list and in various national honor societies, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology in May of 2005.
The next stop
After getting her undergraduate degree, Berglerovic was sure that she wanted to pursue a master’s degree in higher education after loving her work with students in her various roles as a member of residence life.
Her international student adviser at Berea, Alina Strand, found a job/internship for her at the College of Wooster instead. Berglerovic took a year off school and worked for the college as a resident director, international student adviser and as an intern at in the Office of International Student Affairs.
Berglerovic applied to graduate programs and searched for graduate assistantships and scholarships to pay her way through school. When Berglerovic finished her year at Wooster, she chose to come to Ohio University to complete her master’s program.
“I looked at different places for graduate school, but I really connected with OU’s campus,” Berglerovic said.
She graduates from OU this year and still does not have a definite future laid out, but she hopes to receive a job in student affairs.
Bittersweet detours
While Berglerovic has cherished her experiences in America and learning about the culture, she longs for her family and misses them back home in Bosnia. She and her sister try to coordinate a homecoming every summer to visit Bosnia, her mother, grandmother and close friends.
“I go home, and I love home, but what keeps me connected specifically is my mother,” Berglerovic said.
Seeing her family only once a year is bittersweet for Berglerovic. Traveling can become expensive, and she had to switch up her routine this year. She is going home for winter break instead of summer because she stayed in the States last summer to take an internship at Davidson College in North Carolina. She is unsure of whether she will be able to see her sister during her visit.
Berglerovic said that her favorite parts of living in America are seeing and being around diversity and the wonderful friendships she has been able to form over the years. But these elements do not hold a candle to her favorite part of Bosnia.
“My favorite part of Bosnia is home. I love the Bosnian country. I spent 15 of my 25 years there,” Berglerovic said.
---