Katalin Cseh did not come from a traditional background in politics. She's a doctor and health economist from Hungary, and in May's elections, she won a spot as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).

Cseh helped to found the Momentum Movement, a progressive Hungarian party, during college with eight of her friends. She said the party's mission is to go against the "scare tactics" Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has used to stay in power.

"The state is not being run in an efficient manner," she said. "I started to really disagree with the way our government is taking public affairs — how it's not representing us young, European-minded people."

Cseh is part of the 40 per cent of women in the newly-elected European Parliament. It's the closest the parliament has been to gender parity, but Cseh said she still has to prove herself.

"You have to work harder," she said. "You have to be more fierce. You have to be more fierce if you are a young, progressive woman in Hungary."

As part of her campaign, Cseh talked to people throughout the country, even those in the smallest villages. She's said she's ready to make their voices heard.

"This job is not about me. This job is about those who I represent," she said.

For more on the issues Cseh hopes to spearhead in Brussels, watch the full interview in the player above.