Anina Ciuciu, a Romanian of Roma ethnicity, who emigrated together with her family to France in 1999, managed to lift herself up from staying in a Roma camp, to becoming a student at Sorbonne, the prestigious Paris university.

Anina, whose story was revealed by RTL France radio station, arrived in France when she was 9 and managed to learn French in a couple of months. She lived with her family in various places:  a truck, on the street, in a tent, without having food every day, but the family was helped and stayed without work permits for a while.

Anina's perseverance kept her in school and helped her receive the Baccalaureate, and eventually a BA in Law. Next month she will go to Sorbonne for her Masters degree.

The full story on RTL France here (In French, audio).

editor@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Paris Sorbonne University)