Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests. Thank you for joining us here today, as Soribel mentioned, to honor this month’s winner of the U.S. Embassy’s Entrepreneur of the Month award for November 2015.
As I hope you know, every month, for the past year, the Embassy has been trying to highlight individuals or companies in Romania which best embody the entrepreneurial spirit. The entrepreneurs that we have recognized have seen the potential of a new or emerging business idea or opportunity, and then developed a focused approach with drive and courage to turn that idea into reality.
Ana Maria Brezniceanu spent three years in Canada pursuing a doctoral degree in global education and studying various educational approaches, including the Montessori Method. Upon her return to Romania, Ms. Brezniceanu was unhappy with the kindergarten options available to her child, both in the public space, as well as in the private. In 2007, she opened the Montessori Kindergarten of Bucharest serving eight children up to age six. This was the first kindergarten in Bucharest offering the Montessori curriculum to receive authorization from the Ministry of Education.
In 2011, Ms. Brezniceanu capitalized on the success of the kindergarten and, with encouragement from the parents of the children both in her school and elsewhere she opened a primary school for the children to continue learning with the Montessori curriculum. In 2014, the school’s success and steady growth led Ms. Brezniceanu to open a middle school to offer the Montessori curriculum to older children. Today, the Montessori School of Bucharest has grown to an institution serving 140 children, with 22 teachers and teaching assistants, serving students up to age 12. Ms. Brezniceanu’s passion for children’s education and her entrepreneurial spirit gave other parents in Romania an additional choice in education with high academic standards. She recognized an unfulfilled market niche in Romania’s educational space and a strong parental desire in choice for their children’s education.
As we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship week and International Education Week, I applaud very heartily Ms. Brezniceanu for founding the Montessori School of Bucharest. Ana Maria embodies the main qualities of an entrepreneur: resourcefulness, passion and originality. Romania’s sustainable economic development needs this type of innovative, entrepreneurial and creative citizens. Today, we recognize Ms. Brezniceanu for doing a very important part in building the Romania of tomorrow – a more entrepreneurial and better educated Romania of tomorrow.
So please join me in applauding the tremendous success of Ana Maria Brezniceanu.
