Minnesotan To Meet: Jasna Burza
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Jasna Burza grew up in Bosnia during the Bosnian War. She's a graduate of the University of Minnesota and the College of Saint Benedict.
It was a visit to Minnesota when she was 18-years-old that not only changed her, but changed her future.
As one of the first students to go through the PeaceTrails program at the University of St. John's and the College of Saint Benedict, Burza was able to pursue a degree in Peace Studies in the hopes of being a political leader in her native Bosnia.
But it seemed every time she tried to leave Minnesota, she always found her way back.
Her journey to, in and back from Minnesota makes her a Minnesotan to Meet.
For Burza the sounds of grenades and bombs were an everyday occurrence while growing up during the Bosnian War.
"The bombings started and everyone had to flee town," Burza said. "So, I ended up with some of the relatives and neighbors without my parents. For three months, I was in a refugee camp in Croatia."
In the early '90s she moved to a refugee camp alone. Three months later, she was reunited with her mother. Nine months later, they returned home to an ongoing state of war.
"We slept on mattresses on the floor, away from the windows. But she would stay up watching all night long on the balcony," Burza said.
Her father was moved to a concentration camp and his absence took a toll.
"He was taken to the battlefields. So, they were used as human shields," Burza said. "It really took a toll on him."
Burza was always an over-achiever, joining every club in school and working after school to help her parents pay rent, but she never thought college was an option.
"I grew up not having many opportunities," Burza said. "I was told, 'You're a woman. These are the things that you can do and these are the things that you can't do.' And it was instilled in me."
That all changed when she was invited by former St. John's University interim president and mentor, Dan Whalen.
"He created a program called PeaceTrails," Burza said. "He really took a special interest in Bosnia and wanted to understand what happened. So, he brought youth from three different faiths to it."
The youngest in the group, Burza was invited back to attend the College of Saint Benedict as a full-time student.
"Six months later he called me and he said, 'I want you to have a college education,'" Burza said.
Her degree from St. Bend's, and eventually the Humphrey Institute of Public Policy, led her to jobs with the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross in Geneva, Switzerland.
"I wanted dedicate my life to working for these organizations that were really trying to change things on an international level," Burza said.
But after traveling around the world for work, you could say she found Minnesota. Or maybe Minnesota found her.
"People always leave Minnesota but they always come back," she said.
It was here she met her husband and decided to forego plane rides for something more.
"Seven years ago I lost a child, and it just started to change everything. I started to question what do I want to do, and was I doing the right things in life," Burza said.
After stepping away from a sales job she was blessed with two children in a little over a year.
"Finding our own calling, finding our own truth," Burza said. "I think that when more of us do that, I think we can do many more great things and prevent something like that happening,"
Burza said her goal isn't to change the world, but rather to help people see the changes inside. She isn't just a new U.S. citizen but a new Minnesotan resident.
"Five to six years ago I became a U.S. citizen," Burza said. "I am very proud. To me, this is the greatest country in the world."
The mother of two spends time speaking to Fortune 500 companies, like U.S. Bank. The rest of her time she does business consulting and coaching, mainly to women who are hoping to start their own companies or re-enter the workforce.
"I think there is so much greatness in all of us, but we get so bogged down by something painful that happens," she said.
Former Interim President Dan Whalen called her smart, savvy and bold. He called her extraordinary woman.
