Polish

“Having taken Polish language classes with both Mrs. Oginska and Professor Sipka at ASU has enabled me to take advantage of some wonderful opportunities I would not have otherwise been able to take advantage of without knowledge of the language. In 2013 I was accepted into a Spanish literature conference in Bielsko-Biała where I not only shared my research but also made connections with several professors and university students assisting the event. The following year I applied and received a scholarship to pursue my Polish language studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow for a period of 6 weeks. Since then I have enjoyed continuing to use the language in the context of looking at examples of experimental digital literature (the topic of my dissertation) being produced not only in the context of the Spanish speaking countries but also comparative samples of literary and artistic creations from Poland” Jennifer Byron received her MA in Spanish from Arizona State University and her BA in Spanish and Secondary Education from Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is currently a TA of Spanish at Arizona State University and is working toward her PhD in Spanish culture studies with a focus on digital narrative.

"Learning Polish in Mrs Oginska's class has helped me tremendously in building relationships with artists in Poland. I'm working on partnering with the Art Academy in Wroclaw, Poland to create an intentional exchange program for ceramics students. Communicating in Polish will also help in breaking barriers and building rapport with the Polish students. I'm excited to continue on this journey." - Sam Chung, Associate Professor of Ceramics, ASU

After studying Polish at ASU, Jamie Brooke Forseth was named a U.S. National Security Education Program scholar to Poland where she studied in Krakow and Poznan. She returned to ASU to earn four bachelor degrees in political science, English literature, violin performance and interdisciplinary studies as well as a master's degree in political science. Forseth had the privilege of working for Ambassador Barbara Barrett as a research manager in the U.S. and as the Ambassador's personal chief of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Finland. Forseth went on to earn an MBA from Yale School of Management and subsequently progressed to managing credit analysis and strategy on Goldman Sachs' municipal trading desk. Today she is a partner and head of credit research at Whitehaven Asset Management, a hedge fund based in New York with a focus on the U.S. municipal bond market.

"My name is Marta and I graduated Arizona State University with a B.A degree in Russian Language and Literature with a Slavic Languages Minor (focus: Polish Language) in May 2010. My story at ASU is an interesting one, as I experienced quite the metamorphosis. My freshman and sophomore years at ASU consisted of rigorous schedules filled with science and mathematics courses as I was at the time majoring in Kinesiology. I quickly realized that I was lacking an intellectual challenge. I immediately began to sign up for courses outside of my major map: Russian Language and Literature, Polish Language, Linguistics, etc. It was then that I discovered my love of studying the language. I look back on my ASU years as a time of personal growth & development. During my 4 years at ASU, I also worked full-time as a teller at Wells Fargo. During my senior year at ASU, Professor Sipka approached me with the opportunity of a lifetime. The Slavic Language Department at ASU’s School of International Letters and Culture was accepting applications to participate in a summer program to study Polish Language, Literature and Culture at the prestigious Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland during the summer of 2014. Getting accepted into the program was a life-changing moment in my life. The six-week program consisted of daily language lessons, cultural excursions, optional evening courses (encompassing a variety of interesting subjects) and interacting with students from all over the world. Once the program was over, I made a monumental decision to stay in Poland. I have since been living and working in Krakow, Poland for over two years. Due to my language skills and previous work experience with Wells Fargo, I found a job as an Investor Service Specialist at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. I put my language skills to use on a daily basis, servicing investors from all over the world. I pride myself on my hard work and am continuously recognized. I have grown a lot in the firm over the last two years and will maintain to do so. Outside of work, I spend my free time exploring the limitless activities and attractions living in Krakow offers. I have always been very proud in my Polish heritage, and feel that living in Poland has allowed me to experience a cultural reawakening." -Marta

"My name is Bart Zalinski, and I am an alumnus of Arizona State University- W.P. Carey School of Business and the Polish Language and Culture program. Currently, I am a Supplier Performance Analyst at Southwest Airlines in Dallas, TX. Before joining Southwest fulltime in May, I completed internships at UTC Aerospace Systems, Honeywell Aerospace, and two rounds at Southwest. I am grateful for the opportunity to study and grow proficiency in my family language during my collegiate career, as I still use Polish every day."