Irena Seferovic - New, Full-Time Director of First School

Dear Members and Friends of First Baptist Decatur:

We are so pleased to be able to share some very good news with you. As many of you know, Irena Seferovic has been serving as our Interim Director on a part-time basis since just after Harriet Holland, our previous Director, retired. 

Irena has done a remarkable job for us so far. This is in spite of the fact that she could only serve here in a limited capacity since she had to fulfill her contract as a full-time teacher at Fernbank Elementary. Now we are so glad to be able to announce: 

As of June 1, Irena Seferovic will become our new, full-time Director of First School. 

Her passion for our First School children, her devotion to our parents and families, her relationship with our teachers, and her love of this First School and First Baptist community inspires us all. We are thrilled that she will now be our official Director!

More than these qualities, however, we would like to share some additional information you need to know. 

Irena’s Inspiring Personal Story: 

Irena came to this country in 1999 as a refugee from the horrors of the civil war in the former Yugoslavia. Fleeing from the region of Bosnia-Herzegovina where she grew up, she had to escape with her young family and lived for seven years in Germany. There, she adapted, learned to speak German, got a job, and worked with a large firm in fashion design. Once the war in Bosnia began to be resolved, she had to leave Germany and resettle in a town near Zagreb, Croatia. But because of her Bosnian heritage, she and her family were made of feel uncomfortably unwelcome. Throughout the traumas of war, discrimination, constant life adjustments and determination to protect her children, she remained positive and resilient.

Finally, in 1999, she was able to come to the United States. She settled in the Atlanta area (Clarkston) with her family. She spoke no English, had no connections, and was unfamiliar with our complicated school and social systems. Yet Irena was determined to succeed. And she wanted to give back, to positively contribute to this new land that was willing to take her and her family in. 

After a few months here and while learning a new language, she got a job helping as a teacher in First School. Before long, she had learned enough English to communicate comfortably with parents and as well as the children. She became the first of many teachers to join us from war torn parts of the world as refugees. Now, after twenty three years in the U.S., after further education, much more experience, and many years of teaching, Irena Seferovic will be our new Director of First School on June 1. 

Her story is a powerful American story. Her life is an inspiring example to children, to parents and to all of us. She not only was by far the best candidate we interviewed, she was the only candidate to be recommended by a whole host of parents who knew her and who gave their enthusiastic recommendations unsolicited. 

Finally, Irena is committed to our community with all her heart. She recognizes First School as a place that had faith in her as a refugee and gave her a chance to become her best self. And now we are the glad recipients of her experiences. Together we benefit from her heartfelt motivation to make First School even more of an inspiring force in Decatur and beyond. 

The Seferovic Family:

We are also happy to convey our gratitude to Irena’s beautiful family: her husband, Elvir, and her daughter Ina, her son Rudy and his wife Jenniffer and their daughter, Irena’s granddaughter, Alana. They now join with Irena in our First School family and we welcome them with open arms.

We hope you will join us as we give thanks for Irena and her willingness to begin with us in this new role; join us further as we celebrate a new beginning for our vibrant, courageously inclusive First School and First Baptist Decatur community. 

With gratitude, excitement, and great expectations, 

David Jordan, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Decatur

Mark Green, Pastor to Senior Adults, Director of Children and Youth Choirs, First School Liaisson

Dilshad Premji, Director of Finance and Administration