“ I always speak very highly of Manchester because it really saved my life ,” Sijaric said . “ Manchester was willing to take a risk on me .”
MU | Amela Sijaric
Manchester was life-changing in literally every way ,” said Amela Sijaric ’ 00 . “ To me , it presented a rescue from suffering and seeing horrific reminders of what had been going on for about four years .”
Sijaric was 14 years old when the war in Bosnia , formerly Yugoslavia , began . Until then , she had lived what she considered “ a normal life .”
On her younger sister ’ s 11th birthday , military forces entered the town of Sarajevo , where her family had lived for about six years after moving from Montenegro . Everyone in her neighborhood fled , and Sijaric didn ’ t return to that home again . From there , her entire life changed .
“ When people started talking about potentially getting attacked , it took forever for that to sink in ,” Sijaric said . “ It just wasn ’ t something that could happen to you , period . You don ’ t think about it .”
Soon after the war started , she began keeping a diary to reflect on what was happening in Bosnia , as well as her own coming of age , which ended up inspiring her memoir , The Far Away People . Sijaric thought : “ Maybe I can get a little sense of justice . I ’ ll write everything that happened so nobody can come back and tell me this didn ’ t happen .”
After her family ’ s new home was destroyed in a bombing , Amela and her mother and sisters relocated to a Toplik — an atomic bomb shelter in Sarajevo that housed more than 300 people . Most slept on the cold concrete floor , and hundreds of people were forced to share one toilet . Any water for drinking or washing had to be collected from a nearby river .
“ As cold , dirty , and uncomfortable as it may have been at Toplik , it was the only place where we felt like we could relax enough to fall asleep .”
Her father , who was absent during the bombing , had not returned , and the children sensed that their mother had changed . “ As a kid , you always expect your parents to know what to do when new situations arise ,” Sijaric said . “ It ’ s a strange feeling when you know that even your parent doesn ’ t know what to do .”
Their father arrived at Toplik nine days later — after being in the hospital for the injuries he had sustained in the bombing — and was almost unrecognizable to Sijaric . The family was reunited , but the violence raged on . “ Normally , it ’ s always dark here — day or night , except for one or two candles ,” Sijaric wrote in a diary entry from June of 1992 . “ We live like moles or mice in a sewer . When I can ’ t take this dark any longer , I get out into the hallway . But you can ’ t stay there for long either because those animals start bombing from up above .”
As time went on , the family tried to get on lists to leave the country , but of course , those lists were extensive , and their attempts proved unsuccessful . It was not until after the war that Sijaric made her first trip to the United States .
After years of ceasefires without any real backing that only led to further violence , the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) finally gave the aggressors an ultimatum : withdraw their weapons from Sarajevo or have their positions bombed . Soon , the NATO airstrikes began .
Amela Sijaric ’ 00 came to Manchester after living through the war in Bosnia .
“ Everything was shaking but for the first time , we were happy about the bombings ,” Sijaric said . “ Destroy it all if you need to . Destroy our homes . Do what you have to do . Just please make the war stop !”
The Dayton Peace Accord was signed in Ohio in December of 1995 .
Shortly after the war ended , Sijaric ’ s first job as a journalist allowed her to attend an American workshop , and she took full advantage of the experience . She visited Washington , D . C ., Philadelphia and New York City . While she immediately fell in love with the U . S ., the sheer difference in lifestyles between the U . S . and her home felt “ unfair ” and “ depressing .”
It was this experience that made her determined to leave Bosnia and go to college in the United States .
Back in Bosnia , Sijaric ’ s English-speaking skills during a press conference caught the attention of an employee working for United States Ambassador Robert Frowick , which landed her a job as an interpreter . At the end of the war , Frowick ’ s daughter came to visit him , and she and Sijaric developed a close friendship .
Frowick ’ s wife knew that Sijaric had dreams of getting an education in the U . S ., so she began sending Sijaric books about colleges . Sijaric spent many late nights researching colleges , staying at work after hours because she did not have internet at home . After nearly two years of searching , studying and applying , she discovered a small Indiana college that already had one Bosnian student in attendance , and soon she was admitted there too .
“ I always speak very highly of Manchester because it really saved my life ,” Sijaric said . “ Manchester was willing to take a risk on me .”
Life in the U . S . was simpler for Sijaric in many ways . Even with the cultural differences in studying , working and using money , “ from then on , everything was easy .” Still , there were struggles day to day . Speaking about her experience living through war remained difficult and emotional , and the trauma conditioned her to be cautious at all times .
Because the war had stolen nearly all her teenage years , she took every opportunity she could during college . She studied political science , worked multiple jobs , took extra classes , made time for partying with friends , and still managed to graduate in just three years .
From there , she earned her Juris Doctor degree from the Indiana University Indianapolis School of Law . She now lives in Indianapolis and works for Marion County Public Defender ’ s Agency . Her memoir , The Far Away People , was published in 2022 .
Amela also spoke at this year ’ s Virtual Showcase Series , and her presentation can be found here .