The National Coordinator of the REYN Bulgaria Network – Gabriela Tosunova is the topper of the class of 2018/2022 at the Faculty of Law and History of the Southwestern University “Neofit Rilski”.
“During my studies at Southwestern University, I earned two A’s and got promoted because I have the motivation to give my best, this is what my God teaches me – to give my best and be an example. He was my biggest motivation to be top-performing and gave me the mind and opportunity to achieve it.”
“I have been like this since I was a little girl and I graduated from the Agricultural High School in my hometown Sandanski with full honours, the top five does not satisfy me,” the girl says.
“I hesitated what specialty to choose as my first wish. I prayed for God’s wisdom and on the morning, on my way to the university, I received a phone call from an unknown number encouraging me to enroll in Public Administration and that was an answer to my prayer. Four years later, I work at the foundation from which I received that phone call! There are no coincidences!”
Gabi says that she did not face discrimination or lowered expectations from the people around her at school because of her origin, but they often forced her not to say that she was Roma because she was Bulgarian like them. Her friends and classmates all liked and supported her, but she says she insists on it being known that she is Roma because she believes in the role and motivation of role models for the community. Her peers think negatively about their educational opportunities and development just because of their ethnicity and negative societal attitudes towards Roma, but through her example, many of them are motivated to struggle and continue their development in education.
“I believe and know that I achieved everything with the help of God. I owe everything to Him and to my parents. I did not give up even when many of my friends tried to discourage me that I would not make it with this major, I knew God had a plan,” says Gabriela.
“There were times when my parents already joked with me and said they would throw away my textbooks just so I could go out with the other children and young people, because I always shut myself in my room and read since I was little,” Gabi says with a smile. Her parents have always been supportive, both of her and her two older sisters, who graduated in education and are also working.
Gabriela is now the national coordinator of the REYN Network and a programme assistant for the Early Learning and Care Programme at the Trust for Social Achievement Foundation. Apart from her undying desire to learn and develop, Gabi has a talent for drawing very well, she is involved in making portraits and caricatures and has already started a new venture – her own business, working on opening her own party agency.