Q: Tell us a few things about your country, and also your life's story!

I come from a small village from the Southeastern part of Romania. As a child, I used to be quite lonely, and playing by myself made me imagine people and places. I would live a different story each day, pretending I could speak foreign languages. When I grew up, I moved to a provincial city for high school, and I found it too small for my dreams. I wanted to see and experience more. After I graduated I went to college in Bucharest, the capital city, and I still felt it was not enough. I wanted to challenge myself and interact with people from a different culture, so I applied for a scholarship to South Korea.

Now I live in Seoul but there are plenty of times when my heart goes back to where I grew up. Romania deals with corruption issues, and it hurts me to see that we are not governed by people who have the passion and expertise to recreate and build up a nation. I wish we had leaders, creators, and not destroyers. I dream big and even though it sounds childhish, I know that one day I will be able to come back with enough power and knowledge to change the future of the next generations.

Q: What is your view of the world as it is today? And how do you define the concept of a better world?

I don’t want to be a pessimist and say the world is sick but I would lie if I say it’s sane. Globalization is a double-edged sword, and many countries started to experience the hurting side of it. The tensions in the Middle East brought waves of refugees to European countries, leading to strong xenophobic reactions, North-East Asia is a powder barrel, Venezuela fights poverty brought by an authoritarian regime, and people in African regions fight for survival. The world is, however, a beautiful place, and being surrounded by such cultural diversity it should be a blessing; unfortunately, we are still not good enough at seeing beauty in diversity and racial superiority is still deeply embedded in our genes. Stereotypes are simply a deeper layer within ourselves, planted there by ancestors who live through history books.

It is hard to imagine beauty when you see wars and famine, but it might be easier than we think to reconstruct if people were to collaborate regardless of religion, sexual orientation, or race. The key is understanding each other and working together towards common goals. I am sure the world would be a better place if we learn to listen to each and try becoming selfless.

Q: What are some of the key challenges in your society?

If I am to talk about Romania, then I would say the challenges would be the access to quality education and fighting corruption. If I were to analyze the Korean society, on the other hand, then I would say a big challenge is gender inequality. This country is highly developed and industrialized, however, the Confucian values are so strongly rooted that the wage gap and the way women are treated at work or even in their families, is highly concerning.

Q: As a young individual what are a few of the hurdles that you had to overcome up until today?

I personally think there is no bigger obstacle other than ourselves. Fear of failure, fear of not being good enough, fear of criticism, and most important, fear of dreaming big, create small enemies within ourselves. My toughest obstacle was fighting me after I failed to receive the scholarship I had been dreaming about. I had to face myself, and accept that I failed. And there is nothing harder than resisting the thought of giving up. Failure is a shame, a disappointment, that’s what we are being told. What they didn’t tell us is how sweet a victory feels after failing once. Oh, and had I won. I applied again the second year, and I finally understood: failure was the test I had to pass in order to build a stronger I that had to face new challenges, this time in a new country. The second biggest obstacle was still I. The moment you achieve a dream you were working so hard for, you can get trapped in the winner’s glory fever. I was afraid of stagnating, of stopping there but I passed this second test too.

Q: Why is the role of a mentor important for you?

I think it is really important to interact and learn from people. The experience our mentors have could become valuable lessons for us, as future leaders. Much more, their insight and constant guidance can help us make better decisions.

Q: Do you have a lesson that life has taught you and you would like to share?

Dream big, and believe in your inner self, despite what others say. I used to be considered a "weirdo" only because I did not share the same hobbies and interests as my other classmates. I like writing, imagining, and telling them about my dream to live in South Korea made them laugh. Nobody actually believed that a skinny girl, from a small, unknown village, could ever reach such a place but what they didn't know was that I don't know what giving up is. I want to share with everyone that is struggling the same words I said to myself: from the moment you are born to the moment you die, you are meant to walk a lonely way. Family and friends might support you but eventually, nobody will be there with you from the moment 0 till your last, and therefore make it count! Become whom you want to be. Make sure you say "I did it!", and that moment you will understand that nothing feels more complete than believing and achieving when no one else though you could.

Q: Name a project, a foundation or a person in your country that you think is doing great work in helping improve other people's lives!

The foundation "Mereu Aproape", which fights domestic violence.

Q: What are some of the challenges that women in your country face and what efforts are made towards gender equality?

I was happy to see that actually Romania is considered to be leading in EU in terms of lowest gender gap (~5%, according to 2018 Eurostat report). To my knowledge, the government supports entrepreneurship programs for women and offers welfare policies to women who take maternity leave, making it easy for them to return to their job. In terms of challenges, I think that would be verbal sexual abuse, which is quite common to occur sometimes even while walking down the street. Another problem could be domestic violence, which is still quite serious. On the other hand, Korea has big issues regarding gender gaps, being at the bottom of the OECD statistics regarding wage gap.

Q: Athena40 is the first ever global selection of the top 40 women forward thinkers, commentators, activists, authors, academics, entrepreneurs, executives, innovators. Can you think of a truly innovative and forward-thinking woman from your country that you wish to nominate for the Athena40 global ranking?

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Q: Share with us a phrase, a poem or a story that you love or you find interesting!

"Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes...
Because for those who love with heart and soul
There is no such thing as separation!" (Rumi

Q: Tell us one thing that you have learned from your mentor.

Maintain a smile on your face and a positive attitude at any time, and you will always succeed.