BOJANA BOGOJEVIĆ: FROM REFUGEE TO GLOBAL FORCE FOR CHANGE

July 17, 2025

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She escaped war with nothing but a bag of belongings and a head full of dreams. Today, she’s a global award-winning lawyer, climate leader, and humanitarian icon. This is the story of a woman who turned survival into a legacy.

“They Can Take Everything—But Not What You Know”

“They can take everything,” her mother said, “but not what you carry in your heart, and not what you know.”

That sentence didn’t just shape Bojana Bogojević, it built her.

Born in the small Bosnian town of Goražde, Bojana’s childhood was ripped apart by the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Her father died when she was just one year old. And as the bombs began to fall, she and her mother—an esteemed literature professor—found themselves hiding in corridors, sleeping on cold floors, and running errands under sniper fire. One April morning, as soldiers entered their street, her mother made a decision that would change both their lives forever: they ran.

With a single sports bag in hand and fear behind them, they left Goražde. Bojana became a refugee.

A New Life. A Hard Life. A Chosen Life.

Arriving in Belgrade, Serbia, Bojana and her mother started from zero. The apartment was bare. They had only a few pieces of clothing, some shared. Despite having nothing, they opened their home to more than 25 others displaced by war. Many slept on the floor.

It was during this time that Bojana decided who she would become.

“I knew I couldn’t erase the war,” she says. “But I could make something out of the ashes. Something good. Something useful.”

At school, she was bullied for being poor. At home, she watched her mother struggle to find work and afford food. But Bojana never let anger take root. Instead, she studied. And studied. And studied.

She earned a law degree from the University of Belgrade, then pursued postgraduate studies in corporate governance. But her hunger for knowledge was global; she added Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Bocconi, and Penn to her journey, one by one. Each diploma wasn’t just a credential; it was a promise fulfilled.

Bojana lives in Belgrade, the vibrant capital of the Republic of Serbia, a country like her: a phoenix.
Once scarred by history, now rising with vision and strength.
This land has given the world minds like Tesla and Pupin,
proof that brilliance is rooted in resilience.
Serbia is powerful, proud, and unstoppable.

Law, Leadership, and a Lifelong Mission

In 2012, she began offering free legal lectures and advice because she remembered the feeling of having no one to turn to. By 2015, she launched a blog dedicated to law, corporate governance, sustainability, and climate justice. Its content is now syndicated by media outlets across the Balkans and beyond.

When she met Professor Jeffrey Sachs in 2015, her focus turned sharply to climate change. By 2019, she had launched the Western Balkans’ first podcast on the climate crisis and held lectures from universities to global conferences. She became a Climate Reality Leader, personally trained by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

Her knowledge became her weapon. Her voice, her megaphone.

She has since advised governments, companies, and universities. But Bojana’s platform has never been about position—it has always been about purpose.

Award-Winning Legacy

Her work has earned her dozens of prestigious awards, including:

Books for Peace – Gold Ambassador for Human Rights
INSPAD – Honorary Ambassador of Peace
UNITAR – Virtual Ambassador for Positive Change
Global Woman in Business & Leadership Award
Phoenix Women’s Excellence Award 2025
Ashadi Wisdom Campus, Sri Lanka – Visionary Leader in Sustainable Development and Corporate Governance

She’s also been featured in international books like 30 Shining Stars of the World (translated into 20 languages) and Heroes Ignotum. Since 2019, she has been a contributing author to eYs Magazine, the world’s most influential humanitarian publication.

Faith, Action, and Climate Hope

In 2023, Bojana became an official Animator for the Laudato Si’ Movement, inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical on environmental justice. She now serves as Honorary Director for SDG Education at the UNAccc Institute and remains an active UN Volunteer.

Despite her packed global schedule, she never forgets home.

Her mother—now almost blind—can see her daughter, the climate leader, only through one eye, if the light is just right. But she sees her fully. And proudly.

“Humanitarianism Is Not a Superpower. It’s a Decision.”

When you ask Bojana how she defines success, she doesn’t talk about awards or titles. She talks about legacy. About giving. About choosing humanity every single day.

“I want people to understand,” she says. “You don’t have to be extraordinary to care. You just have to be willing.”

That willingness led her from the ruins of war to the pages of international history. And she’s not done.

Her upcoming book, They Can’t Take What’s in Your Heart, is not just a memoir—it’s a blueprint for those who believe they are too broken, too small, or too late to make a difference.

A Life Worth Reading. A Future Worth Fighting For.

Bojana Bogojević is a modern-day hero—one of the rare few who turned personal suffering into global impact, who chose action over anger, and who, even today, leads not for power but for purpose.

She’s not waiting for a Netflix adaptation. She’s already changing the world through her activism, knowledge, and contributions to eYs Magazine, the most influential humanitarian publication.