I am Diana from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Starting with where I am today and going back to my early years, I will take you through my life journey that made me the person I am today. I will share the highlights of my life – I will go through the events that made me strong and introduce you to the people who supported me through the many challenges I faced along my life’s journey. I am proud to be of Roma origin and to be who I am now.
I am 29 years old and I am the only Roma girl out of 2,500 people in my area who have a degree. I work for Roma education in the local department of education, where I am surrounded by young Roma motivated to learn. I also work as a volunteer in the Roma community, where I share the importance of preschool programs with parents.
I was accepted to the University of Ecology majoring in “Environmental Conservation and Science”. I was the only Roma girl at the university and I was very proud to be there. For the first time, I directly experienced discrimination from my peers. I didn’t let them affect me. I wanted to become a positive example for other Roma girls and boys. After graduation, I continued with a master’s degree. I also volunteered in my community, supporting the education of Roma children.
When it was time to choose which high school to enroll in, I followed my father’s advice and enrolled in the Environmental Technical School. After three months, my father, who is a chimney sweep, asked me if I wanted to enter the high school for chimney sweeps and attend two high school courses at the same time. I gladly accepted the double job!
I successfully attended both training forms and obtained two diplomas that make me an environmental engineer and a qualified chimney sweep.
During the early years of my primary school education, I quickly learned what it felt like to be seen through the eyes of prejudice. Meanwhile, I helped my father with chimney sweeps.
During my early years, I did not attend preschool. I loved playing with the brushes and tools my father used to clean chimneys.