Nicu Ceauşescu (Romanian pronunciation: (September 1, 1951–September 26, 1996) was the third child of Romanian leader Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu. He was a close associate of his father's political regime and considered the President's heir apparent.
Ceauşescu wanted Nicu to become his Foreign Minister and for that, he instructed two high-ranked Party members, Ştefan Andrei and Cornel Pacoste (whom he considered brilliant Communist intellectuals) to take care of Nicu's education. However, unlike his older siblings, he disliked school and allegedly he was derided by them for never being seen reading a book.
He graduated from Liceul no. 24 (now named Jean Monnet High School) and then studied physics at the University of Bucharest. He was involved in Uniunea Tineretului Comunist while a student, becoming its First Secretary and then Minister of Youth Issues, being elected to the Central Committee of the Romanian Communist Party in 1982.