May 11, 2025
My Polish heritage is the root of my identity. Every ancestor of mine spoke Polish, and I see it as my responsibility to carry that legacy forward. I grew up in a bilingual household, and over the years, my primary method of keeping my skills alive has been speaking with family. I try as often as I can, but these efforts are not enough to reach the level of fluency I aspire to. I want to speak Polish with the confidence of a native speaker so that my generation, and those who follow, can remain deeply connected to our family, culture, and past.
Being Polish is the most vital part of my upbringing. As a little girl, I spent summers on my family’s farm, immersed outside. I learned firsthand what it takes to harvest and plant crops, and how fragile the balance between human effort and environmental conditions can be. My relatives taught me to observe the health of the land, animals, and water. But over the years, I started to notice changes. Droughts became more frequent, and in my village, a stream where my cousins and I once built a treehouse has dried up completely, leaving behind only cracked, unsaturated soil.
Witnessing this environmental decline sparked my passion for hydrology and led me to major in Earth and Environmental Science at university. I now pursue this passion through academic research and hands-on work. I’ve worked with National Geographic, The Nature Conservancy, and Polish professionals to study freshwater conservation strategies in Poland. In my current remote sensing course, I chose to model drought vulnerability in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, where my relatives live. By consistently integrating Poland into my coursework, I’ve made my academic journey more personal and meaningful. Below is the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index map I produced that shows varying levels of healthy and non-healthy vegetation on the farm.
Looking back, I realized this passion found an early model in Marie Skłodowska-Curie. She has always been an inspiration as she is a symbol of what is possible for Polish youth, and more specifically, for Polish girls in science. As the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win it in two different scientific fields, Skłodowska exemplifies how intellectual rigor, determination, and curiosity can break through barriers of adversity.
Skłodowska’s pioneering legacy illuminated three life lessons that continue to shape my path and those of other Poles. First, she demonstrated that scientific excellence does not require the abandonment of one’s cultural roots. Despite her groundbreaking work in France, she insisted on keeping her Polish surname and often spoke about her home. Her commitment to remaining visibly Polish in international spaces gives me the confidence to pursue environmental science from a transnational perspective, that is rooted in both my Polish and American identities.
Second, her story shows the power of intellectual self-discipline. In a time when few women were accepted in academic spaces, Skłodowska created her own space. She studied in underground universities, conducted rigorous research without institutional support, and continued her work through war and personal hardship. This self-determination reminds me that the key to success often requires persistence beyond formal education, which is why I have sought out independent research experiences when my university lacked the courses I needed.
Finally, Skłodowska is inspiring because her discoveries served humanity. Her research on radioactivity was groundbreaking and saved many lives. As I pursue freshwater conservation, I hope to follow her example by contributing to science that has real-world impacts. In which I can use my education to help ensure water security for vulnerable regions, including the small village in Poland where my family lives. Here below I have also produced a ground level subsidence map, that displays the compression of the land due to high levels of groundwater consumption.
I owe my journey, both personal and professional, to the guidance of my family and the legacy of my ancestors. Their stories, values, and sacrifices have shaped how I see the world and what I choose to fight for. They taught me to cherish our language, to observe the land with care, and to act with integrity. From my aunt who labors the most at our farm to the uncles who nurtured my curiosity, every step I take is rooted in their example. I am grateful to have had such powerful role models, both in my family and in Polish history, who have shown me that as a woman, my identity is something to be proud of. Everything I do, from speaking Polish to studying water scarcity, is an expression of that gratitude, and a promise to carry their legacy forward with purpose and pride.
