Some twenty children seated on chairs lined up along three of the walls of a room in a social center in Baia Mare are staring at a young woman, who is talking to them with a bit of a quiver in her voice.

She started by introducing herself, even though the children already knew her: she’s Renata Mihaly, she’s 21 years-old, she’s a member of the Young Roma Maramureș Association and a third year student at the Cluj-Napoca Faculty for Decorative Arts and Design.

At a certain point, she opens the book she’s holding and shows the children a few pages. The book has lots of illustrations, all of them done by Renata, and tells the tale of a young man with disabilities. The title of the book is Loli, an acronym for “Lipsurile Omului nu Limitează Inima” [‘Man’s Lacks Do Not Limit His Heart’] – and was written by fashion stylist and designer Lorand Coza.

Renata enrolled into Lorand’s modelling school when she was thirteen. She was very shy and the modelling classes helped her communicate and socialise. The also helped her earn her first money, which came from the help she gave Lorand in putting together the outfits and make-up for the photo shoots at the local mall.

At the time, Renata was an eighth grade student at the Arts High School in Baia Mare and she decided she wanted to study fashion design, so, in the ninth grade, she enrolled into the textile class at the same high school.

More income started coming in from her role as a member in a group of Fates, several young women who create a performance for christenings. Her collaboration with the Fates is ongoing and most of her friends are from the ranks of the group.

Renata is also still doing make-up, but just for a few of her friends, as time won’t allow her to do more.

She’s a final year student and has to prepare her graduation collection, for which she has selected a Roma theme, which she wants to reinterpret in a collection of twelve items – wearable unisex outfits, minimally designed, through which she wants to highlight the beautiful things: Roma culture, the work of the Roma people, their approach toward metal, the Roma flag and everything it stands for, the colours green and blue.

The outfits should be presented in a runway show, which usually takes place at the end of the university year, at the Arts and Design University gala. Last year’s graduates presented their works in workshops, on mannequins. For the time being, no one knows what’s going to happen this year. 

She still takes classes online – she hasn’t physically met her colleagues and professors since March 2020. Renata was admitted to university in 2019, following an exam.

In order to get accepted to university, you have to pass three exams: the first one is a pencil-drawn portrait for which the candidates have to draw a live model, the second is a color portrait, and the third is an interview and a presentation of a portfolio of works.

“I was very nervous – I wasn’t expecting to be one of the first ones to get in. If I hadn’t gotten in, I would’ve waited one more year and reapplied, because there was nothing else I saw myself doing. Everyone was worked up over the high competition – I was the third to get in. I also tried applying for the special places for Roma students, but couldn’t do it, because the only available spot was in Pedagogy. I requested that the spot be moved to Fashion, but that wasn’t approved. The secretaries were very harsh with me when I told them about it. How dare you ask for something like that? You lady, if you want it, go to Pedagogy, or sit the exam with the rest of the candidates. I replied I didn’t want to go to Pedagogy, so I’d sit the exam with the rest of the candidates. It was the only moment when I felt really bad because of my ethnicity. It gave me pause, but I understood: the secretaries are usually a bit colder. See, young lady, you made it even without that special spot, they told me after the exam.”

She took the spot reserved for Roma students at the arts high school without any issues. She always introduces herself as a Roma ethnic.

Renata comes from a mixed family – her father is an ethnic Hungarian and her mother is Roma. At home and in the extended family they speak Romanian and Renata can speak neither Romani, nor Hungarian. And she’s frustrated that she doesn’t. All the more so since her mother, whom she considers her best friend, teaches Romani and is an activist for the rights of the ethnic group.

Nowadays, Renata’s mother works for the Department of Social Aid within Baia Mare City Hall and is involved in all sorts of projects to support Roma ethnics. One of them is the mentorship program for ethnic Roma children at the end of which she also invited her daughter as a speaker.

Renata chose to show them some of her work, talk about the importance of school for her, congratulate them for everything they’ve achieved so far, and tell them she will be by their side with open arms, every time they need advice.