Vesna Uljarevic

Yardi

By Leah Etling on Apr 16, 2012 in People | 1 Comment

Vesna Uljarevic’s outlook on how to best approach life’s difficult moments is simple: You should not get upset about things that you cannot control. But the story behind how the Toronto-based technical account manager for Yardi came to have that perspective is a true drama.

A native of Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina that was under siege for four years during the Bosnian War, Vesna and her husband Velimir moved to Canada as refugees after fleeing their birth country during the war.

Initially, they did not want to leave. But the danger of living in close proximity to bombs and sniper attacks, and no foreseeable conclusion to the conflict, gave them no choice. Velimir left first, to avoid being conscripted into the fight, and Vesna followed several months later in a harrowing escape on foot, and then hitchhiked her way to Croatia. It has been reported that 11,541 people lost their lives during the siege, which was the longest in the history of modern warfare.

The Uljarevics lived in Croatia for several years, but jobs were near-impossible to come by. In 1996 the couple applied for a Canadian program that accepted immigrants from war-torn nations as refugees.

“When we were accepted it was the best day of my life,” Vesna told us. The program included plane tickets to Toronto (which the refugees must later repay), assistance with housing and food for the first year of residency, and English as a Second Language classes.

A work-experience program led to her first job in Canada at a corporate office for United Colors of Benetton, the clothing retailer. She then had a data entry job, and decided that she really wanted to learn more about how software worked behind the front-end user interface.

When she started at Yardi, the learning curve was steep. “I am not really a technical person,” Vesna explained. “I was discouraged at the beginning, and thought ‘I am never going to get it. ‘” But she stayed the course and was able to fully understand the Voyager platform and begin supporting residential clients.

Her favorite part of her job is producing client satisfaction and positive results for their businesses. She also enjoys the residential services team that she works with, describing them as fun but also hard-working. The group fits perfectly with her outlook.

“The bottom line of my life is that you should not get upset about things that you cannot control. That’s something I tell my clients after their first initial frustration. Let’s fix the problem and if possible let’s laugh while we are fixing the problem and working. If it helped to cry, I would cry 24 hours a day if it was going to resolve my issues. But it doesn’t. You just make yourself more miserable. I’m not saying don’t take the job seriously, but if you can joke and laugh while working and make it pleasant, it does make a whole lot of difference.”

Learn more about Vesna:

What is your favorite type of music?

Rock if I have to pick, but like all types of music

What is your favorite book of all time?

“Death and the Dervish” (Mesa Selimovic)  and “The Bridge on the Drina” (Ivo Andric)

If you have an hour of free time to spare, what do you do with it?

Read, work in my backyard, learn to play a guitar.

What kinds of food do you like?

Italian, Greek (Mediterranean), Mexican

Where is the most interesting place you’ve ever traveled?

Amsterdam/Netherlands

What do you like best about your job?

Challenge, learning, interaction with people, My Team (Residential Toronto)

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or historical, who would it be?

Leonard Cohen- amazing, wise, calm, his music and lyrics is something that can calm me down and help put things into perspective; Brad Pitt – no explanation needed.

What are the words you live by?

Enjoy every second and laugh as much as you can

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Open a little Bed & Breakfast on the beach, somewhere in Aruba, or Adriatic coast in Croatia.

Do you speak any other languages, and which ones?

Bosnian (Croatian/Serbian), a little bit of Italian

If you could own one piece of famous art, sculpture, memorabilia or historic artifact, what would the item be?

Pieta (Michelangelo) – sculpture.

What are some things on your bucket list?

Visit Barcelona, live on the coast (beach) when retired.

What was your last Do It Yourself project?

Fixed my backyard – cleaning and planting.

What athlete or sports figure do you most admire?

Michael Jordan

What online sites do you visit?

Google, various travel sites, Toronto Real Estate site.

If you could have a super power, what would it be?

Power to eliminate violence and unfairness.

What’s something about you that few people know?

Often shy and insecure, but hide it well.