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VIRGINIA PRODAN<br />
<strong>The</strong> Communist regime selected loyal leaders via this<br />
process. <strong>The</strong> graduates <strong>of</strong> law schools became the attorney<br />
general, minister <strong>of</strong> justice, ambassadors, judges, or attorneys<br />
to advance and protect the Communist agenda and fight<br />
against those people called “dissidents.”<br />
For a few months, everything worked well, but soon Elena<br />
considered my study time a waste <strong>of</strong> electricity. So instead<br />
I got up every morning by five o’clock, before anybody else<br />
awoke, and studied outside. Bundled up with warm clothes<br />
and sometimes even gloves, holding my book and outlines,<br />
pacing in front <strong>of</strong> my house to keep warm, I meticulously<br />
and desperately studied; even the semidark, cold, snowy<br />
months <strong>of</strong> winter and the rainy mornings <strong>of</strong> spring did not<br />
deter me.<br />
Parents <strong>of</strong> my schoolmates and friends would pass by, see<br />
me hard at work, and admire my study habits. Unknowingly,<br />
I became a symbol <strong>of</strong> a hard-working student within the<br />
community. Little did they know the reasons behind my<br />
study habits.<br />
My final year in high school found me working hard with<br />
my teachers to prepare for law school entrance exams. Since<br />
I was the only one in my class aiming for law school, my<br />
teacher, Sherban, had spent many hours with me throughout<br />
my high school years making sure that I would be fully<br />
prepared for the exam. Sometimes he would surprise me by<br />
asking me to do an extemporaneous oral presentation on a<br />
subject he chose. To my amazement and joy, I could always<br />
answer the questions, give thoughtful presentations, and<br />
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