Bosnian American Professionals Podcast Nedim Ramic

Alija Dzekic is an Experienced Senior Business Analyst with a demonstrated history of working on complex projects and initiatives. Skilled in Business Process, Analytical Skills, Banking, Management, and Insurance. Strong business development professional graduated from The University of South Dakota.  He currently works for Protective Asset Protection. 

Alija has a passion for community activism and has been involved within the Bosnian American community in various roles. Most notably, he is the president of the St. Louis Islamic Center-Nur and has helped oversee the construction of a beautiful new mosque in South of St. Louis County. 

A refugee himself, Dzemal Bijedic has become an Icon of charitable work in the St. Louis area.  This article by Ryan Shuessler gives you a glimpse of who our very own Dzemal Bijedic is: 

https://www.stlbosnians.com/a-helping-hand-from-one-refugee-to-another/

 Merima was forced to flee her home in Derventa, Bosnia & Herzegovina, at the age of 2 with her mother and a new born baby sister. She did not know where he father was until two years later when they were reunited and were fortunate enough to come to the United States in 1996. 

Since then, it appears that the world of Banking was her calling. She has a  demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry and has been doing it for the past 16 years. She is currently a Commercial Loan Officer and Relationship Manager at UMB Bank. A job she loves as every day she learns something new.  Skilled in Portfolio Management, Customer Service, Commercial Lending, Banking, and Credit Analysis. She is a strong sales professional with a Bachelor of Science focused in Business Administration and Marketing from University of Missouri-Saint Louis. 

She is also about to learn how to be a parent as well. Merima is expecting her first baby, a girl, in December of this year. We wish her the best of luck with that and in particular picking out a name for the baby girl. 

 

Denis Kuzelj remembers the horrors of Prijedor. He and his family survived, unlike so many others. Fat forward to today and brilliant mind is saving lives as an emergency room doctor in the United States. 

Dr. Denis Kuzelj is an emergency medicine physician who received his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine. He is a former Marine who served the United States of America, unlike some folks with bone spurs. 

This is the audio portion of Nedim Ramic's conversation with Patrick McCarthy on the Facebook Live "Lunch with a Lawyer" episode that recently aired. 

Patrick McCarthy is the co-author of “Ethnic St. Louis” and “After the Fall: Srebrenica Survivors in St. Louis.” He currently serves as the Associate Dean of Libraries & Director, Medical Center Library at Saint Louis University.

We talked to Patrick about the Bosnian American community and his experience from the Bosnian genocide to the Bosnian refugee’s influx into the United States and in particular to St. Louis.

Also, Patrick and I will be part of the upcoming ICTY Symposium: The Role of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in Understanding the War and Genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina which will be held on Friday, October 4, 2019 at Washington University School of Law. We hope you will mark your calendars accordingly and join us on that date.

“Ethnic St. Louis” can be found here

https://www.amazon.com/Ethnic-St-Louis-Elizabe…/…/1935806998

“After the Fall: Srebrenica Survivors in St. Louis”

https://www.amazon.com/After-Fall-Srebrenica-S…/…/1883982367

Boris and his family were among the first ones to arrive in St. Louis in the early 1990's. While the challenges were real, his love for sports and camaraderie allowed him to excel in the Water-Polo Pools, as well as, academically. Novak & Ljiljana Cvijanovic, his parents, have been a staple within the Bosnian-American community. Ljiljana has helped countless Bosnian-Americans receive loans for cars, homes, business and more. 

Currently, Boris works at CenturyLink as a Senior level engagement manager with thirteen years of experience designing and implementing innovative and sustainable technology solutions that help clients meet their business needs. Broad work experience across multiple jobs and areas of responsibility within the technology industry provides a balanced understanding of business challenges, potential underlying issues, opportunities for collaboration, and best possible solutions. 

Boris is married to his wonderful wife Stacy and they have two amazing kids, Luka and Anya.