In Romaversitas we support Roma students to gain access to quality education.
We believe that education provides choices for children and a means to accomplish their goals and full potentials.
We support them on the path to become Romani intellectuals, who advocate for their communities and shape the narratives about Roma.
Our team
Ildikó Paskó
Education Director
Ildi is a Sociology and Social Work graduate. She used to work at the Beszélő journal and at the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ). As a freelancer, she contributed to multiple initiatives and research projects in the fields of education and social justice. She joined Romaversitas Foundation in 2006 as a trainer, and today she is responsible for the educational activities of the organization.
Mária Jakab
Financial Officer and Education Programme Coordinator
Since 2002 I have been working for NGOs, mainly in the fields of human rights and environmental protection (Otherness Foundation National and Ethnic Minority Rights Office, Civil Media Nonprofit Ltd., EMMA Association, Messzelátó Association). I switched from a career in health care to finance in the late 1990s. I studied financial and accounting administration, tender writing and resource management. I have been the financial coordinator and project assistant at the Romaversitas Foundation since 2018. It is a pleasure to be part of society-shaping activities that impact the lives of all of us as a NGO background worker.
Gyöngyi Köteles
Mentor and Coach
I started my studies at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, then I graduated as a language teacher at the Lajos Kossuth University. I taught English as a specialised language at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of ELTE. I worked with Hungarian and Romanian-speaking children who had fled from Transylvania, helping them to integrate smoothly into the Hungarian school system. I was the owner and professional manager of a training and consultancy company, responsible for the development of twenty to thirty colleagues, liaising with foreign partners, developing organisations. I have also tried my hand in the world of multinational companies, I was a trainer and coach at K&H Bank for eight years.
At Romaversitas I give skills training, mentor high school and university students, accompany trainees on their first job. Coming from a minority background, I have worked in numerous programmes aiming at equity, inclusion and equal opportunities.
Fanni Trendl
Programme Manager
My name is Fanni Székely-Trendl, I graduated in 2011 in Romology-History at the University of Pécs, I am currently a PhD candidate at the PTE “Education and Society” Doctoral School of Education.Since 2014 I am a lecturer at the Department of Romology and Sociology of Education at the PTE. I was a Romaversitas scholar between 2006-2011, and I am a WHSz (Wlislocki Henrik Szakkollégium) scholar since 2009. Since July 2022, I have been coordinating the leadership training and internship programme set up by the Romaversitas Foundation and the Municipality of Budapest. I believe in achieving social equality and carry out my daily tasks in this spirit.
Tímea Sófalvi
Mentor and Coach
Since 2008, I have been working for Romaversitas in a variety of capacities: delivering skills training on career planning, business development, financial literacy, social skills and media awareness, mentoring university students and graduates. I graduated as a social worker in 1996, later studied drama methods, non-profit management, and completed an MBA at CEU, where I studied sustainability, marketing, organizational development and finance. Since 2014 I have been working as a freelancer at BeeTree Expert Group, working with NGOs and social enterprises.
Kata Törley
Career Counselor, Education Programme Advisor
I graduated from the University of Pécs in 1992 with a degree in French. I have been working as a teacher in the public education sector since 1999. Since 2016, as one of the founders of the Tanítanék Movement, I have been actively involved in the struggle for the renewal of public education and the realisation of equal opportunities. Since 2019, I have been working with young people in the secondary school programme at the Romaversitas Foundation as a further education counsellor.
Csaba Oláh
Project Coordinator
I am Csaba Oláh, I studied cultural anthropology and sociology. In recent years I have been working in the field of education. I consider important initiatives supporting equal opportunities in education and programmes promoting the development and preservation of a positive Roma identity.
Our Board:
- Anna Daróczi (president)
- dr. Vivien Brassói
- Aladár Horváth
- Márta Józsa
- Angéla Kóczé
- Sándor Szőke
