LYNNWOOD — Sladjana Nikolich is the newest member of Lynnwood’s Neighborhood and Demographic Diversity Commission. appointed by Lynnwood Mayor Mike McKinnon and confirmed by the City Council on Aug. 8, Nikolich will bring a diverse background and a desire to help.
“My goal is to reach out to as many people, not just (the) diverse, but the general public as a whole,” Nikolich said. “Lots of people are not aware of what diversity is all about.”
Nikolich, 30, grew up in what is now Bosnia; former Yugoslavia. She moved to Lynnwood in December 1996 and continues to live in Lynnwood with her husband and two daughters.
“I consider Lynnwood to be my hometown,” she said. “I want to know what is going on; my children are growing up here.”
Nikolich received her associates degree in business management from Edmonds Community College and is currently taking classes at Central Washington University to earn her bachelor’s degree.
She speaks more than four languages and is enrolled in a Spanish class at EdCC.
Nikolich worked for the YWCA for four years where she was a part of their diversity committee.
She is currently working at Lynnwood Work Source and EdCC as a case manager. In her job, Nikolich helps dislocated workers (those laid off from their company), and low-income adults find jobs. She does job training and teaches general employment classes on resume writing and interviewing for people who want to go back to work.
Nikolich came to the United States with a refugee agency in Seattle where she volunteered to help translate with new arrivals. After being in the U.S. for only a year, and at the age of 22, Nikolich was offered a job to help refugees and immigrants find work. The three-month offer turned into a job lasting three and a half years.
Nikolich first became interested in Lynnwood’s diverse culture a couple years ago when she started taking her oldest daughter to the muli-cultural fairs.
“I try to raise my kids to be very open-minded (diversely),” she said.
A few months ago she started doing research and discovered that the commission was looking for new members. They had two positions to fill, Nikolich explained, and she met the criteria for one of the positions.
“I applied and Mayor Mike (McKinnon) called me in for an interview,” she said. “I then met with the council.”
The commission, approved by Mayor McKinnon in October 2004, recommends to the mayor and city council ways to encourage mutual understanding among Lynnwood residents by connecting with other organizations, sponsoring events and promoting programs.
“Having (Nikolich) on the commission gives us the kind of diversity that is critical to Lynnwood; making sure we are inclusive of the various cultures that are in the city,” vice chair of the commission Wally Webster said. “The eastern European citizens are very important for us to have representation. The mayor was very perceptive in taking his time to appoint someone representing that particular diverse population.”
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