From the American city of St. Louis, which became a refuge for thousands of displaced citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, comes one of the most beautiful and inspiring stories of the year. Distinguished professor David Pettigrew shared a moving testimony about the Hasan Mustafić family, refugees from Srebrenica who arrived in America with nothing, and this weekend they experienced their proudest moment.
More than three decades after surviving the horrors of the Srebrenica genocide, the Mustafić family marked a powerful moment of triumph and remembrance this weekend as two sons of Bosnian refugees graduated from Saint Louis University with distinguished degrees.
Esed Mustafić, named after his uncle Esed who was killed during the Srebrenica genocide, earned his Doctor of Medicine degree and will begin a residency in Family Medicine. His brother, Kenan Mustafić, graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering.
Both brothers wore the white and green Srebrenica flower on their graduation gowns – a symbol of remembrance, resilience, and survival.
Their parents, Hasan Mustafić and his wife, arrived in St. Louis as refugees from Srebrenica with little more than hope for a better future. After losing everything during the genocide, they rebuilt their lives in a foreign land, working tirelessly to provide opportunities for their children.
“Thirty-one years ago, they tried to destroy our future,” Esed said in a heartfelt message honoring his parents and the victims of Srebrenica. “Today, we wear the flower of Srebrenica as proof that they failed.”
The brothers reflected on the sacrifices made by their parents, who worked long hours every day to ensure their children could receive an education and pursue dreams that had once been stolen from them.
“Saint Louis became our home,” they shared. “Our parents did not build a future for themselves – they built it for us.”
The Mustafić brothers also spoke proudly of the contributions Bosniaks have made to the city of St. Louis since arriving as refugees in the 1990s, helping rebuild neighborhoods, strengthen communities, and enrich the cultural fabric of the city.
Today, the sons of Srebrenica stand as symbols of perseverance and hope: one a physician dedicated to healing families, the other an engineer reaching toward the skies.
“As long as the waves of the Drina River are heard,” the brothers declared, “the story of the children of Srebrenica will continue to be heard.”
