Maciej Bzura, B.Sc., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Maciej has a rich background in neuropsychology and pathophysiology and he likes keeping current with breaking science news. He is particularly interested in the evolution of health care and is working across two hospitals in Winnipeg, with sights set on becoming a physician. Maciej is active with his local PSA and enjoys analyzing Polish culture and its involvement in the sciences.
Kasia Kamińska, BFA, Toruń, Poland
Formerly a PISK executive, Kasia has recently returned to Toruń, Poland after a 25 year absence. It therefore comes as no surprise that she is still recovering from the culture shock that hit her in the face like a bag of frozen carp when she stepped off the plane. She doesn’t take herself (or anyone else) too seriously and will post some Polish-Canadian perspectives from the Motherland from time to time.
Maya Modzynski, BA, Edmonton, Alberta
Maya is a Torontonian Master’s student in the Department of Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Alberta, and is both a culture and a pop culture junkie… meaning she derives pleasure from going to an art gallery in the afternoon and then from regaling her friends with useless celebrity facts over a beer later in the evening. Maya will be writing about Polish visual culture and its impact on the rest of the world.
Mariusz Pankiewicz, B.Sc., HND, Licentiate, Kraków, Poland
After completing a plethora of programs at Foreign Languages College, Edinburgh’s Telford College, and Napier University and moving from the UK to Krakow, Mariusz helps build a better Internet as a front-end developer. Yes, feel free to ask him what this actually means. He also dashes around the city with a sword, sabre, and/or musket, brews beer, and dabbles in 3D modelling, to name a few hobbies.
Adam Pawlak, BA (cand.), Winnipeg, Manitoba
Adam is an honours economics student at the University of Manitoba, where he serves on the Arts Student Body Council as well as on the Senate. He has a particular interest in the social, political, and all the sensitive global issues that affect our daily lives. He is involved in the Polish community through dancing in the Polish Dance Ensemble SPK Iskry and through playing soccer for the famous Polonia S.C.!
Magda Sulżycka, MA (candidate), BA, Hamilton, Ontario
Magda finished a degree in translation at the University of Ottawa before beginning a career in the public service. She is currently completing graduate work in disaster management at York University in Toronto, and is racing her brother to see who will visit 100 countries first.
Paul Sulżycki, RMT, MSc, BSc, Vancouver, BC
A Waterloo grad, Paul runs the PISK site from Europe, where he moved to study sport psychology. He loves sports, can climb like a goat, and never turns down a strategy game. You can find him via his personal site or somewhere on Diaspora. Paul also loves traveling and will win the race mentioned above.
Annette Szeliga, BA (candidate), Hamilton, Ontario
Now in university, Annette was PISK’s first high school blogger. She loves One Direction(goodness knows why), has an unsettling habit of cheering for Germany in soccer tournaments, and hopes to beat her cousins above in their TCC race.
Paula Agata Trelińska, BA, Seoul, South Korea
Paula is an elementary school teacher in South Korea. A graduate of the University of Waterloo, she is currently studying under the direction of her life coach, Paul Sulżycki, above, as well as pursuing a certificate in publicity and public relations from the University of Toronto. Looking to find and/or encourage a vibrant Polish community in Korea, Paula brings perspectives of Polonia on the last remaining front of the Cold War.
Martyna Turczynowicz, BA (candidate), Winnipeg, Manitoba
Martyna is a stylist/makeup artist/University of Winnipeg linguistics student. She splits her time between writing for The Uniter(Winnipeg’s urban journal) and for Stylus(Winnipeg’s music magazine), attending local shows, scheming future travels, chilling with friends, and doing yoga. Martyna is seriously in love with her hometown. She also spends inordinate amounts of time worrying if she’s being awkward.
Susanne Wladysiuk, LL.B, Montréal, Québec
Susanne, or Zuza as she is known in her family, graduated with a degree in civil law. She is interested in pursuing a career in immigration and refugee law. Before passing the dreaded Bar exam, she is doing a working holiday in Australia, with a quick dash to Poland to experience her first polskie wesele. She enjoys reading, writing, muay thai and kickboxing, long distance runnning, cooking and dabbling in her family tree.
PAST BLOGGERS
Michael Burzynski, BHRM (Hons), Toronto, Ontario. While blogging, Michael was an HR professional with a Honours degree from York University in Human Resource Management. Born in Toronto, he was always an active member in Canadian Polonia as well as in his local city of Brampton. Michael wrote about Polish culture and traditions in Canada, and he continues to play an important role in the preservation of Polish heritage in Canada.
Marcin Lewandowski, BA, MFC, Toronto, Ontario. Marcin graduated with a Master’s degree from the Faculty of Forestry from the University of at Toronto. He has been involved in the Polish community throughout his studies, even running PISK until from 2010-12. He was PISK’s first official cameraman, something reflected in his blog posts.
Jake (Jakub) Marchel, JD (candidate), BA, Edmonton, Alberta. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Jake was a University of Alberta law student. His interest in Polish subject matter included exploring and preserving his family’s heritage while also promoting his favourite parts of Poland’s cultural and historical significance.
Szymon Podkowa, BA, London, Ontario.
He graduated with a Specialization in Sociology from the University of Western Ontario in 2010. He now runs a construction company with his brothers in Calgary. During his time with PISK, Szymek would writ most often about culture and daily trends.
Ania Rak, B.Comm. (Hons), Toronto, Ontario.
After graduating from DeGroote, Ania worked as a TA for Marketing and Business profs and learned that she loves to pass on her experience to those eager to learn. In 2011, she organized the QV3 Pre-Conference and then worked as a Project Manager in Toronto. Ania especially loved culture, business, and traveling.
Monika Wyrzykowska, MA, BA, Toronto, Ontario.
Monika was an active U of T PSA exec and served on the Canadian Polish Congress. She helped organize Quo Vadis 3 and is a member of the National Executive Board of the Polish Combatants’ Association in Canada. Outside of Polonia, Monika loves following politics and classic rock.
The QV Calgary Team,Calgary, Alberta.
The team behind 2012’s Quo Vadis conference in Calgary popped by every so often to give us an update on how things were going in Alberta.
The QV Chicago Team,Chicago, Illinois.
The team behind 2012’s Quo Vadis conference in Chicago also dropped by with news on how preparations for the first American edition of the conference was going in the States.
quovadisconferences.com 