Elvir Berbic says his family came to Roanoke as refugees for one reason: His parents wanted him and his brother to have a better life.
“The reason why they came here was because of us,” Berbic said. “Their emphasis was on us to get an education.”
Berbic spoke little English when he arrived in Roanoke from the refugee camp in Croatia where his family lived for three years after leaving war-torn Bosnia. Adjusting was hard. He graduated from William Fleming High School — “barely” — and went straight to work, believing higher education wasn’t going to be part of his future.
Later, Berbic found his way to Virginia Western Community College, an experience that turned his life around and led him to Radford University for his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
