— Elena Crnalić —

Elena obtained a BA in International Studies from Western Sydney University, Australia. After taking courses at Utrecht University in The Netherlands, Elena became deeply interested in Conflict Studies, which led her to pursue an MA in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research at the University of Tampere, Finland. In addition to serving as an intern for PCRC, Elena is currently conducting research for her MA thesis on the notion of Yugonostalgia and youth.

We Didn’t Have Much, but We Were Surrounded by Good People

We walk through life meeting people at every turn. We know that most are not there to stay, but each has a potential lesson to teach us about the world and about ourselves. There are those, however, who change the course of our lives forever. Those rare individuals who better your life, or even save it. Ordinary heroes. This is the story of a family of ordinary heroes who embraced my family and me in a time of need, and who love us for who we are despite the differences that may exist between us.