The legislature honored dozens of refugees from around the world who were at the Capitol for "Colorado Refugee Day” which is set for June 20. Lawmakers recognized two refugees in particular, including Emily Griffith Technical College’s Dean of Language Learning Center Slavica Park (pr. Slah-vit-sa)from Bosnia. The other honoree was Damir Basic from Herzegovina.
Park, a refugee of the Bosnian civil war, arrived in Denver in 1997 after surviving sniper attacks and other horrors of war – not being able to speak a word of English. However, in 10 years she has not only mastered the English language but now presides over the school’s Language Learning Center, significantly enlarging the department and doubling its funding.
Senate President Pro Tem Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, and Sen. Joyce Foster, D-Denver, and Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, co-sponsored a resolution declaring June 20 as Colorado Refugee Day.
