Mihaela Petrovan, President of BookLand Romania: We will move mountains before saying something is impossible

A woman with a determined stride and firm gestures, impeccable posture (always standing straight!), and the voice of a nurturing teacher. Grace and strictness are equally present in Mihaela Petrovan, the president of BookLand Romania. From the first exchange of words, you realize you are facing someone who believes immensely in what they do. After renovating and equipping 80 schools and kindergartens in rural areas, Mihaela is now preparing to embark on an even more ambitious project: a vocational pre-university campus, where rural children will be taught both academics and trades. Her thoughts are not only for the Romanians who stayed behind but also for those who wish to return to the villages they left. Let’s get to know the woman who aims to revive rural Romania!

C&B: Describe your activities!

Mihaela Petrovan: For several years now, my activities through the BookLand Association have revolved around the needs of young people from rural areas, and what has concerned me the most is ensuring they have access to quality education. They need to believe that they can succeed here, in their own country, through their own efforts but also with support and guidance from us, the adults. In the last four years, BookLand has made a dream shared by thousands of rural children possible: to go and learn in beautiful, clean, modern schools—schools that have been renovated and equipped with everything they need. We have renovated and modernized 80 schools and kindergartens in 70 communities across the country, with the support of all those who share our vision for education: private companies, local municipalities, teachers, parents, and even students who worked alongside us. And now we are preparing for an even bolder project: we are starting to build a Vocational Pre-University Campus in a dual education system in Arges County, in the village of Vulturesti.

We reached this point because the renovation chapter showed us that both the rural children and their families face many shortages. Of course, we are very grateful that we managed to transform their old schools into modern and beautiful ones, but it’s not enough to motivate the young people. By creating a certain comfort in schools, we have actually inspired the care and respect we have for them because they need to see that through work, they will eventually be able to access a life different from the one they are currently living. It’s still a serious issue that many young people want to leave for abroad at the end of eighth grade to escape the financial hardships at home and make money. That’s how the idea of building a pre-university campus came about—where we will enroll students from the age of 6, in first grade, and guide them throughout their entire schooling (primary, secondary, and high school/post-secondary), in a modern, complete, and complex space where children will be able to learn both academics and the trade they choose. We will guide them to choose the profession that suits them while offering them inspiration, self-confidence, and healthy role models to fuel their motivation. And everything will be offered for free. We will operate according to the standards of a private school, offering quality and encouraging performance, and in this way, I am convinced that we will be able to revitalize rural education. I believe that only in this way, through education, can we rebuild a society where young people can grow and develop honestly and fairly, without feeling inferior, disadvantaged, or abandoned simply because they were born in, let’s say, a remote village. These young people are no less intelligent, brilliant, ambitious, or talented than those born, raised, and educated in the city.

C&B: What’s the story of your evolution?

Mihaela Petrovan: Hard work to the point of exhaustion, a lot of emotional and material strain, sleepless nights, stress, mistakes, boldness, confidence in what I can do. And, of course, a tremendous amount of heart put into what I do. And at the foundation of what I have managed to build together with the people I have had and still have by my side has always been the desire to leave something meaningful behind. Something that not only fulfills me but also those around me. If I had the power to redo my journey, I would start with social entrepreneurship. Although, I must confess that without the experience of More than Pub—the agency I led for 17 years—things would definitely not have been the same. The agency was a good school for me, a fantastic springboard, often a curse, but also a blessing overall. Ultimately, yes, I feel lucky. My story is a series of extraordinary satisfactions, generated by the people I met and the things, always different, that I learned, am learning, and will continue to learn until the very end.

C&B: What were your visions as a child/teenager, and what are they now?

Mihaela Petrovan: My mother was a teacher, so I had someone to inspire my love for books. I remember that reading became my warmest refuge… From books, I drew the strength not to abandon my aspirations; books encouraged me and made me strongly believe that people are indeed capable of building other worlds. I was an introverted child, a good listener, and a keen observer, and it served me well to be like that. By letting others speak and listening to their stories, I learned how to tell my own out loud. As for dreams, I didn’t dream of princess dresses; I wanted to become a very good teacher and to teach. I still dream of leaving something significant behind, just as I did back then.

C&B: What are the life and work principles you follow?

Mihaela Petrovan: I don’t have a set of rules, but rather lessons taught by others or learned from my own mistakes. I would start with the fact that excellence and performance dictate my work. I do not tolerate mediocrity. Of course, we learn, make mistakes, grow, and improve, but we don’t stagnate, we don’t plateau, and we don’t give up easily. I value transparency, honesty, keeping one’s word, and fairness immensely. I embed these beliefs in everything I do, and the people who join BookLand do so because they share our need for authenticity and believe us when we say that we will move mountains before saying something is impossible.

C&B: Have the pandemic, economic crises, and wars influenced your work?

Mihaela Petrovan: Yes. The financial crisis of 2008, for example, was an overwhelming experience for me. It was incredibly difficult to manage payroll, taxes, and bills… it was a dark time. Then, many years later, when the pandemic crisis hit, I must admit that it was not easy at all. However, I tried to remain clear-headed, seeking to see the glass half full. I’m an optimist, and I felt that everything would return to normal someday.

C&B: Can you share any funny situations from your work?

Mihaela Petrovan: Spending a lot of time around children (especially at the BookLand Cultural Camps), I can honestly say I’ve gathered many funny stories. But regarding my day-to-day work, yes, I can share something unusual—a moment when we try to bring a smile to the faces of our dialogue partners. When we meet potential partners, we make sure to tell them that we’ve brought some mice with us (since the mascot of the BookLand Association is a mouse, which we’ve given a double meaning: it reminds us of the dismal state in which we found many rural schools, where mice/rats would freely roam the classrooms, but it also refers to the “library mouse”—a metaphor for the love of reading and studying). When they hear about mice, people often widen their eyes, so we always assure them that these are just small, stylized, and beautifully colored toy mascots, perfect for keychains.

C&B: You have a potential client/partner in front of you. What is the phrase you use to convince them?

Mihaela Petrovan: Imagine that you are six years old again, and no matter how tough things are at home, on your first day of school, you actually arrive at an amazing place where you will learn not just academics but also many useful life skills (and your parents won’t have to pay a penny for the quality education you receive, nor for your uniform, school supplies, healthy meals, or unique & transformative learning experiences)! Here, you learn a trade that you enjoy, practice it throughout high school, and by the end of 11th grade, you have a guaranteed and decently paid job. Plus, a fulfilling life in your own country, not abroad… where half of the Romanians have already left.

C&B: What advice do you have for those just starting out or feeling undecided?

Mihaela Petrovan: If we’re talking about high school students, I encourage them to watch or attend the BookLand Evolution Meetings, a monthly event where young people (from Bucharest, but starting in 2025, we plan to invite students from other cities across the country) have the chance to sit down and engage in dialogue with various personalities—specialists and prominent representatives of different professions. It’s a transformative and incredibly useful experience because these kids have the opportunity to ask a professional about how things work in their field. And that’s a big advantage. Moreover, during the Dialogues Without Borders, which take place right after the BookLand Evolution Meetings, the young participants have the chance to discuss freely, making a much-needed exchange of information or even a pro-con debate.

I also advise them to take school seriously, to hold on tightly to their passions, to have patience, and to accept that their first job won’t mean thousands of euros in their account, but rather learning, gaining experience in teamwork, and laying the foundation for their future professional life. I also encourage them not to focus narrowly on the job market and to regain respect for trades. There’s no point in graduating as a mediocre lawyer when your skills could make you a skilled electrician.

C&B: What is your opinion on society and its evolution?

Mihaela Petrovan: I will answer based on what I have lived, seen, and understood. At this moment, there are two Romanias: rural and urban. Well, if we could manage to revive rural communities, we would give people there a chance to be reborn—people from whom we could learn how to return to a simple and happy life. In many cases, villagers are not just survivors but beings of incredible independence, capable of facing any crisis, any challenge, and who could be the safety net for city dwellers. These people know how to work the land, they know their local flora and fauna, they know how to care for animals and enjoy what they produce without causing them harm. They still know how to weave, make pickles, and cook real zacusca with real vegetables they grow in their own gardens. They can live off what they produce, regardless of how expensive life might become for the city dweller. My dream is for these two Romanias to join hands, to know each other, to support each other, and not to reject one another. It is vital to buy from farmers, to encourage our children to participate in camps where they can learn about rural self-sufficiency. It is important to value our traditions and everything that makes us unique and authentic. It’s important not to forget who we are. Why would we want to lose our identity, our language? (More Romanian children are being born outside the borders, and they are speaking less and less Romanian). And you know what else is important? To reassure our fellow countrymen abroad that there is something to return to if they feel in their hearts the need to be back on ancestral soil. TOGETHER, we can bring the villages back to life and regain national dignity by starting to love and respect our country. And what doesn’t work well, let’s fix.