The Race of My Life

How One Woman’s Passion was Achieved Despite the Setbacks of War

Story by: Fuada Velic
Edited by Dainelis Rodriguez and Naz Hussein

Photo Credit: Fuada Velic

Fuada immigrated to the United States in 2000 as an adolescent, leaving behind her home, friends, and passion for running. Her transition to another country created many challenges. She put her passion on hold to recreate her life. After graduating from the University of North Florida with her Master’s Degree in Accounting, Fuada established her own accounting company where she assists individuals in creating their own business, provides tax-related guidance, and creates a platform for women and immigrants within the business field. After more than a decade, Fuada began running and competing again. She went on to become a professional athlete, even competing for her home country of Bosnia.

I was 17-years old when I was forced to leave my country of Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the war that broke out in the early 1990s. I was young and had a promising future in athletics. I didn’t want to leave. I had my professors telling my mom that I would do fine in Bosnia. They urged her to keep me in school and not take me away. My mother, though, didn’t see a future for us there. She remained firm on her decision to move to the United States.

When I arrived in America, I had more challenges than expected. There were no opportunities for me to pursue my passion for running and competing. All my trainers had already put in my head that coming to the USA, I will have a hard time because receiving sponsorships for athletics would be almost impossible. And that was true. My mom kept promising me that we would go back home. She would say that in three weeks we would go back home so that I could continue running but the date kept getting moved.

Social Services found my mother a job and she began to love it that she kept postponing our flight until it never happened. At that moment, I began to realize that my mother was comfortable in America. Her worries about bringing food to the table were not there anymore. Her worries of me or her being raped were gone and that was enough for me to understand my mother. I am very connected to her because losing my father in the war left her and me lost but she risked her life so many times going through enemy lines to bring food.

Settling here, I kept trying to find my place and so many times I was questioning myself, “what now?” Finding new friends, learning a new language, new school, new everything kept me so busy that I started to forget about running. I started chasing other dreams, a dream of a successful immigrant in the USA. It took a few years to settle from running and finding a good job and focusing on education. I graduated from the University of North Florida and received my Master’s Degree in Accounting. I got into accounting after a school translator convinced my mother that running was not popular in this city and the best option would be for me to go to college. Also, I believe it is a cultural perspective, that is sometimes implemented by parents, that if you are not a doctor, attorney, or accountant then you are not what is considered to be successful. On my admission for my college testing, I spoke with the chancellor and my test showed that I was good with creativity, communication, and numbers therefore the suggestion for my major was to choose a lucrative field such as accounting.

Throughout my career and with my degree, with lots of sacrifices, and time, I was able to establish my own accounting business. This was not an easy move and it currently still is a struggle. A lot of working hours have been put into building a business and making sure that it is operating smoothly. With my business, I am able to help individuals understand what a business is, setting up successful businesses, and understanding tax codes and obligations. I learned to plan and have some sort of agenda throughout the day. If it doesn’t go the way it’s planned, then I get into a disciplined mode, which is what most athletes usually do to refocus on the task or goal.

In addition to my business, I also take the time to help out within my community. I volunteered a lot for many organizations and that was my way of saying “thank you” to this country and city for providing me and my mother a safe haven. I received an award from the American Cancer Society for dedicating time and serving on the board. I also received an award from the International Women of Business for my dedication and hard work in the accounting field. The Bosnian American Association recognized and warded my work within the community and events commemorating the genocide of Srebrenica.

Every year in July, I organize a memorial for the genocide in Bosnia specifically the city of Srebrenica. On July 11th approximately (the exact number is still unknown) 8,372 men and boys were killed, slaughtered, and taken away from their families. This is proclaimed as the second genocide in human history for the 21st century. I gather the Bosnian community together and we educate people on what happened. No human should be treated the way these boys and men were at the Bosnian war. My hope is that with this platform, we will bring more awareness to the community and educate people that the lives of innocent peoples were taken away unjustly and that this cannot be repeated to anyone.

To add on, my involvement within my community and the triumph of my career in accounting and business provided me with a sense of satisfaction. Yet, although I was happy, I still was not fully satisfied with myself. There was a void inside of me that needed to be filled with my one true passion: running.

Photo Credit: Fuada Velic

I started with a 5k. I soon progressed into competitions with longer distances from 10K all the way to full marathons. The feeling of me running after I took a break put me in tears. The feeling of myself being there and running again and having a chance to run with others was something to celebrate. I believe I felt so much emotion because this was all I knew and what I wanted to be. It was what I was building myself for when I was younger.

Running again gave me the joy that I was missing. I felt like my life came back after all the years of struggle.

I became the first female that qualified to receive six stars from running. I even ran for my home country of Bosnia in a marathon in France in 2006, 16 years after moving to America. I made history as becoming the first female long-distance runner to run for a small country like Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was able to do this through a grant I won.

Photo Credit: Fuada Velic

Racing has always been a part of my life. I never stopped running, not even in my sleep. It’s a gift I am born with and I can’t see myself doing anything other than fulfilling my passion. If I don’t run for a few days, the urge becomes stronger. For me, it is a form of mental cleansing. It’s my comfort zone.

Looking back at my journey, I am grateful for everything that I experienced. I have learned so many new skills and have surrounded myself with incredible individuals. From my racing to being a woman in the business industry and my community engagements, I use the platform of my life story that everything is possible and if we keep going with a set goal in mind, things will come to a good or better outcome. I also believe being disciplined is a key to success and after many women see that in me, they want to follow the strength.

In remembering my younger, If I could take into consideration a piece of advice, it would be to spend more time on growing wisely rather than rapidly.

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of WeaveTales and its employees.

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