Dana Maria Dezotell, the story of a successful Romanian woman in America

In an interview granted to cotidianul.ro , Dana Maria Dezotell recounts her journey in the "Promised Land", which began with a tragedy and continued with remarkable performances in a field where few succeed.

Reporter: Let's start with your arrival in this country. 12 years ago, you married an American citizen, a few months later you became pregnant with your first child, but fate was cruel to your new family after your husband lost his life in a tragic car accident . She didn't even get to see her son and you were left alone, two months pregnant, without money, without a stable home and without a secure job. How did you manage to get over this terrible moment in your life?

Dana Maria Dezotell:That's right, on March 21, 2001, I got married in Romania to Lyman, my husband. It was a quick marriage, after a year or so of mutual groping. I moved to the state of Vermont where he lived. As you rightly said, eight months after their marriage, he died in a car accident on his way to work at IBM. Three people died in that accident, all colleagues. They were commuting together on that sad day of November 29, 2001. While Lyman was sleeping in the back seat, he was hit by an oncoming car. The next day I would have had my first medical check-up, to find out if I was pregnant. I knew I was, but I had to get under the care of a doctor. In September 2001 I had started my first job in America, teaching assistant at a high school where I was living at the time. God helped me survive hunger and the lack of my family. Looking back, I think I would have chosen the same, to stay and fight for my child. I wanted him to know why he didn't have a father. This tragedy lasted about 12 years, until I found out why my husband died.

What came after? How did you face, as a widow with a newborn child, this downright desperate situation? I think that even the most powerful man in the world would have been devastated after such a tragedy, especially since you were in a foreign country and could not rely on the support of your family, located in Romania?

In short, the ambition not to be beaten. The details are in the book I'm writing now.

Have you thought about giving up, taking your child and returning to Romania, to your family, where you could have the necessary peace and moral support to start a new life in your country?

Many people have asked me this question. I didn't leave because I had to find out why my husband died, a compex case, with a driver who used drugs, with medical procedure violations. The one who caused the accident, coming the wrong way, was on the first day of treatment for heroin at a rehab clinic. He fell asleep at the wheel, entered the opposite side and killed three people. Even today I have not finished this process. It's already been 12 years since then.

Let's talk a little about your background - childhood, education, activities before your marriage and arrival in America. You graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Bucharest, then you worked for a while in the print media and on television. You did it successfully. Tell me something about this period as well.

I am, together with my sister, Livia, the fourth generation of teachers in my family. The parents, teachers, did not want us to be teachers. If I hadn't been so sensitive, I would have become a doctor. However, living in the atmosphere of a family of intellectuals, I realized that there is no nobler profession than the one through which you can change the lives of the children you educate. After graduating from the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Chemistry, specializing in Organic Chemistry, I got my license and became both a chemist and a teacher. On the one hand, my father tried to convince me to teach close to home, in Dr?g??ani; on the other hand, I wanted to be independent and go as far as possible. Dad is a protective nature and does not accept the idea that I will be on my own two feet. So, after a tenure contest, I obtained a position as a professor at a high school near Bucharest. One morning, before starting my first school year, I jumped out the window, took a few things with me, money for one train ticket and went to my school. I taught for several years, until I started writing at "Liceenii", after which I was co-opted in the first team of the "Na?ional" newspaper, which had broken away from "Evenimentul Zilei". I had only one job in the print media, at the "Na?ional" newspaper, which I loved and where I signed with the pseudonym Dana Achim. When I started collaborating with Dana Deac, on the "Prezentul Simplu" show, on Antena 1, I had to make a decision: print media or television. I chose the last one. Meanwhile, the show increased its broadcasting time, from 20 minutes to 30, then to an hour. My documentaries or investigations had a very good rating: around 11-20. If we think that a TV post that now has a rating of 2-3 on a good show is considered great, you realize how successful I was. After my departure, the show was cancelled. Dana Deac was a demon of a woman, with all the compassion for the disease she had. This somehow led to my decision to get married and leave the country. I still have nightmares from that time. I saw things one way, she saw them differently and I had to resign and start something else. A good friend of mine, Drago? Marin, from ProTV, my video image teacher at the Independent Journalism Center - may God forgive him, he died very young -, came up with the idea to make a new show. The director of Antena 1 at the time asked me to do the project, and when it was ready, he told me, through an intermediary, "if he could pull it for me too". Forgive me for lowering the level of the discussion so low, but I want our readers to find out how things were in the Romanian mass media at that time. Moreover, his colleague from "Jurnalul Na?ional", the director of the newspaper at the time, told me to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. "if he could pull it for me too". Forgive me for lowering the level of the discussion so low, but I want our readers to find out how things were in the Romanian mass media at that time. Moreover, his colleague from "Jurnalul Na?ional", the director of the newspaper at the time, told me to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. "if he could pull it for me too". Forgive me for lowering the level of the discussion so low, but I want our readers to find out how things were in the Romanian mass media at that time. Moreover, his colleague from "Jurnalul Na?ional", the director of the newspaper at the time, told me to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. but I want our readers to find out how things were in the Romanian mass media at that time. Moreover, his colleague from "Jurnalul Na?ional", the director of the newspaper at the time, told me to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. but I want our readers to find out how things were in the Romanian mass media at that time. Moreover, his colleague from "Jurnalul Na?ional", the director of the newspaper at the time, told me to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. the then director of the newspaper, told me straight to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania. the then director of the newspaper, told me straight to my face, right in his office, that a permanent collaboration also involves a discussion "somewhere, in the mountains". I refused both "offers" and then my husband, Lyman, came to Romania. I got married and got rid of Romanian mentalities. I loved my husband very much and was in love with him when we got married. If I wasn't disgusted by these Romanianisms and if value was respected based on work, not on bedroom performance, I don't think I would have taken the step to leave Romania.

After you recovered from the emotional shock of losing your husband, you managed to get a position as a chemistry teacher at a high school in the state of Vermont, then the successes came one after another: "teacher of the year 2012" in the state of Vermont; successfully completed projects; students accepted to prestigious American universities, such as Harvard, Yale or Stanford. How did you manage these performances, which not even American teachers can boast of?

Through a lot of work. I remember that I had just given birth to the boy and five days later the students were meditating at home. I had to relearn the whole subject, even more, in order to get my teacher's license. I also finished a master's degree, but after two years I gave up the doctorate. I think that my passion and sincerity brought me the mentioned satisfactions. The same passion as in the country, but here there were no blackmails or compromises. You are good, you are appreciated and you are respected. As for the teacher of the year, I obtained this important distinction for the 2010-2011 school year. It is the title on the state of Vermont.

At the 2014 Annual Science Fair, one of your high school seniors, Tayler, recently accepted to Harvard University, told me how your performance as a teacher changed his life and his future. How do you feel when you hear such words spoken by some young people you have or had as students in chemistry class? But when you saw professors emeritus from the University of Vermont, present on the jury, giving your speech a standing ovation?

Students like Tayler and others are the real reason I teach. I inspired them in class, but also outside the program hours. We do research just like in American faculties. You saw that my school looks great. Think that he is in a village, but I am happy for every student that he guides and succeeds.

Simultaneously with your work as a teacher, you also graduated from the NASA Academy in Alabama, obtaining an astronaut certificate. Am I to understand that you could one day fly into space with an international team of scientists?

Not only could I fly, but I could continue the mission of Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space on the Challenger. I have been passionate about the stars and the Universe all my life. My selection was not random, it came from the US Department of Education, and the tuition was completely free.

How do American teachers view your successes, considering that you come from a foreign country and that you "took the face" of many of them? It is not too easy to digest the fact that you obtained the distinction of "teacher of the school year 2010-2011" in a state where thousands of chemistry professors work. Have you felt discriminated or wronged during all these years of teaching?

As you know, I am currently working on a book in English on this subject. It will be called "Immigrant". It is about the condition of the immigrant in America, the country that declares that it promotes democracy throughout the world. Yes, I felt discriminated against many times, but not on my face. And I understand why: my Balkan accent my sometimes volcanic temperament, my quick temper. Well, I'm from Olte. They have nothing to do, my colleagues appreciate me, I think, some maybe envy me. I've been told many times to stop working so hard because it makes them look "stupid". I do what I think is best for my students.

Let's talk about our collaboration. Almost a year ago, you called me at the editorial office and told me that you wanted to create a supplement in which you would present successful Romanians from America, reports and interviews with personalities from our culture or Romanian poems. I accepted your proposal without hesitation and the add-on has appeared for several months, being appreciated by readers. In addition, you did not ask for anything in return and you became financially involved in the newspaper, as a shareholder, at a rather difficult time for the print media in general. Why did you choose "New York Magazin", when there are so many publications that could offer you money in exchange for your effort?

Your newspaper, or ours now, I would say, because I became very attached to it, it attracted me because of the editorial policy. I realized how professional you are, and if you want to make a comparison, we are similar in many ways. You believe in your newspaper, I believe in the unconditional giving of money or fame. You are always equidistant, even though you don't support B?sescu since the Stolen Referendum, you have been doing this newspaper alone for 17 years and I wanted to help you, to lend my shoulder to this newspaper. I would not choose another newspaper because I, like you, have the same principles and we like to stand straight. I know that Adrian N?stase offered you, through intermediaries, an irresistible sum when he wanted to buy the newspaper and then change its editorial content. By rejecting that offer, you have earned my admiration. Also, you were a musician and I love music, which is another thing we have in common.

What made you take on an extra task with this supplement, considering that you now have two children and two businesses to run, in addition to your work as a teacher? Even if you stopped working at the newspaper for a month, here you are now coming back with this interview and you will continue to do the supplement. Isn't it too much for a woman with so many responsibilities?

As you know, I am a very active woman and my secret is organizing by priorities. That's why I have time to deal with everything. Besides, I'm a perfectionist, so I want to give my best.

Finally, a few questions concentrated in one: achievements, disappointments, future plans and a word for our readers and for all Romanians in America.

I am waiting to open my new business, a select bar in the area where I live. Then to take my students to the state stage at the Science Fair and get good results, finish my book and be able to get to the country this summer because my father is seriously ill. I wish Romanian readers perseverance in everything they do, hope, love and trust! Of all, as the Bible says, love is the most precious and noble gift that God gives us! To offer, but also to receive!