Robert Olah, Romani university student in the Czech Republic, on personal motivation and nonprofit support

Robert Olah, a 22-year-old native of Děčín, Czech Republic, is a student in economics at the Faculty of Socioeconomics at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. In an interview for public broadcaster Radiožurnál, Olah said his dream is to teach the subject at a high school.

"I'd like to earn a Master of Engineering degree from the department of Economics and Management with a focus on financial management, and then I'd like to complete the minimum requirements in pedagogy for teaching at high school level. That way I'd be able to teach accounting and economics one day," says the student, who will take his degree examinations this year.

"I've completed subjects such as marketing, market research and project management, which are the subject for the degree exam. I left financial management until the final year of my studies for the statistical analysis of data, and as part of that course I will process the data for my Bachelor's degree," Olah explains.

Motivation and support are important

A nonprofit organization aided Olah with choosing a high school and then supported him during his studies at university, as he explains:  "Mom wanted me to study even though she herself has just a primary education. A nonprofit organization has been working for several years in my home town, and I visited them from the first through the ninth grade, I did my homework there and participated in recreational activities. The chair of the nonprofit aided me with completing the application to high school. Even though I'd been an honors student all the way through ninth grade, I didn't get what that meant - I'd earned nothing but the highest grades, but I wanted to go to hairdresser school. It was the chair of the nonprofit who helped me apply for the European Business Academy. I literally found who I am there, I enjoy it."

Thanks to the nonprofit, Olah says he found out about the opportunity to apply for scholarships:  "The aid and support from them continues to this day. During graduation, the chair of the association told me about the scholarships to college, assisted me with completing the application to Open Society Fund Prague, I went for an interview there and it turned out favorably."

The young student is planning to continue on to his Master's studies:  "I'd like to get a Master of Engineering degree. It would be either from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, specializing in Business Economics and Management, or my home university in Ústí nad Labem in the same field, with a focus on finance."

Olah says it is necessary to motivate and support young Roma to study:  "It's important to want to do this. If a person wants to do something, then he can accomplish it, motivation can't be lacking."