Following three days after her birth, her mother was killed from a grenade so she grew up with her father. When she was 17 years old, her father was suddenly stricken with a serious illness and died, so she was left alone to live in a studio apartment cared for by her neighbours.

Throughout high school, Elma was an exemplary student with a 5.0-grade point average.

After high school, she enrolled at the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo where she has maintained a very good academic standing and obtained her undergraduate degree. Elma obtained her graduate degree at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Sarajevo and now has a stable job.