HRTS Student Profile: Edita Habibic

“In 1992, everything fell apart.” Meet Human Rights Practice scholar Edita Habibic, who had to leave law school in Sarajevo at the age of 22 to flee the Yugoslav wars.

As a temporarily illegal refugee in France, bereft, and far from home, Edita found her calling helping other war refugees to survive and receive asylum. Despite the risks, Edita soon began coordinating humanitarian aid to her hometown of Tuzla, in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Edita went on to work for over twenty years as a translator and social healthcare worker while finding a way to continue her education. In 2019, Edita received a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in French and World Languages and Cultures.

A licensed caregiver, Edita juggles work and school to complete her master’s studies in Human Rights Practice. Edita says, “I believe that human rights are not a utopian ideal, but a powerful movement which has become an important part of society...Human rights practitioners are the constructors of the...bridges that all human beings need.” We are so glad that Edita Habibic found us, and we know she is going to continue to change lives and make the world a more welcoming place!