A message from the first Roma scholar at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Zsuzsanna Orsós, Associate Professor, Cancer Researcher: Is learning important? Yes, it’s the most important!

The time when we could make a living without an education and just live off of manual labor has passed. I know very well that Roma are strong and persistent and even an illness cannot hold them back, but now machines are replacing the work people do and in order to know how to control a machine, an education is necessary. Many do not believe in school, but this is the only way that we can stand on equal footing, that doors will open in front of us, so that we do not always have to stand at the end of the line.

I am not saying that if we finish school, we will definitely have a job, but without an education, it is certain that we won’t have a job. I loved going to a parties too, I had friends too, but just because I continued my studies, I did not lose them, in fact, I even made new friends. My life got better through learning. I am not a servant and I do not have to work outdoors in the worst cold like many of my relatives. I would like for Roma children to live the same quality of life, for them to see the sea too, for them to shine at what they do best, too.