Danijela Obradovic was barely 12 years old when the civil war in former Yugoslavia began. Danijela, along with her mother and older sister, left their hometown of Sarajevo, Bosnia. After bouncing around between friends’ and relatives’ homes, they ended up in a refugee camp where they spent the next couple of years.

“Being displaced from our home was quite devastating, but it also allowed me to see the good in people. Having shelter and a safe place to go meant a lot to my family,” says Danijela.

A few years later, at the age of 16, the family was given an opportunity to immigrate to Canada and start over. She went on to study chemical engineering at the University of Waterloo, graduating top her of class, and worked for five years at a large oil and gas corporation before returning to school to earn a Juris Doctor from Osgoode Hall Law School. She is now a corporate governance lawyer practicing in-house at Toronto Hydro.

“I believe in the ability of people to come out stronger and more resilient when faced with adversity, if there is someone on the other side to offer a hand and help lift them up. Whether it is the Government of Canada, which brought my family and thousands of other immigrants here and provided settlement support, or it is Nellie’s, which provides shelter for women and children experiencing oppressions such as violence and poverty, it is giving someone an opportunity for a new life and a chance to start over,” says Danijela, who now has two children of her own and lives in Toronto.

Passionate about helping to create environments in which children and women can thrive (while in school, she was involved with the Women in Engineering program focused on encouraging the next generation of girls to pursue careers in engineering) and wanting to pay forward the kindness and generosity she experienced while living in a refugee camp, Danijela joined Nellie’s board in September 2021.

“Because of where I come from, I really appreciate the magnitude of the work people do to help in changing lives. Nellie’s has the capacity to turn someone’s life around and I think that is amazing.”

Danijela is excited to bring to Nellie’s both her own lived experiences and her professional experience to help fulfil on Nellie’s vision and mission. “Just being on the board with these women is an honour and I look forward to contributing my skills going forward.”

Thank you, Danijela, for sharing your story and for your time and service to Nellie’s.