Paul Ghinga was born in Arad, Romania. He lived there for three years with his parents before moving to Italy. The family waited in Italy to receive paperwork enabling them to move to the United States. Paul's aunt and uncle were living in New Jersey, so Paul's parents met the requirement to have family already living in the U.S. in order for them to be eligible. Paul said his folks felt "so blessed" when they were finally given permission to move to the U.S. They moved in with his aunt and uncle until they could save for a home of their own. Both his parents worked two jobs in order to save. Paul was in the third grade when his parents decided to move to Oregon for a better housing and job opportunity. It was there his sister was born 11 years after his birth. His parents were able to purchase a house of their own and both kids were raised to speak both Romanian and English. Paul says he was very active, never sitting still for long. He loved to fish and be in the great outdoors whenever possible. He also played both the violin and trumpet in school and for his church orchestra, beginning at age ten. He briefly played football and wrestled as well. Paul's father worked for a bus company and the family received reduced price bus passes as a result. Paul says they got to travel all over the U.S. and he has very fond memories of all the places they got to visit. Paul worked at Courtesy Ford his senior year of high school, then graduated from Reynolds High School. He then attended Mt. Hood Community College and earned his Assoc. degree in General Studies. He then went to work as an apprentice electrician. He worked eight years before getting laid off in the slow economy. He worked numerous other jobs before applying at Corbett in 2013 for a janitorial position. Paul says he really enjoys the people he gets to work with and be around. He cleans the middle school and the high school gym. In his free time, Paul enjoys target shooting and mountain biking. He used to compete in mountain bike races but because of an injury, he is no longer able to compete. Paul is an avid hunter, fisherman, camper and hiker. He loves the great outdoors! He is currently living in Troutdale.
