Anna Nadgrodkiewicz
Kielce, Poland
Major: International Studies
Minors: German and Economics
A summer internship in Washington,
DC, eating lunch on the mall in front of the Capitol Building,
writing articles for the International Information Program's website,
moving easily among diplomats and foreign service officials, press
pass in hand, state department badge pinned to her blouse…a
season of rare opportunities made possible for Anna Nadgrodkiewicz
by IUP's Honors College.
"I never thought in my life I'd
be doing this. Not all non-US citizens are even able to get this
internship. I heard about the Washington Center from both IUP's
political science department and the Honors College office and
found that the Center has a special arrangement with the Honors
College. Not only did I not have to pay extra -- beyond the twelve
credits – the Honors College even helped me with the cost
of living. I had been thinking about Foreign Service as a career
and this internship gave me insight into what really goes on.
I met Foreign Service officers, met – and made friends with
– Polish diplomats in Washington and became familiar with
all the main corridors of the State Department. The biggest lesson
I got, though, was the feeling you get in DC that the world is
all connected – and that I can contribute. That meant a lot
to me."
Anna found herself involved in the daily work
and special events at the Washington Center, including a paper
presented at the panel session on critical thinking at the 35th
Annual Collegiate Honors Conference.
"My individual paper was offered
at the round table session and concerned the poets of WWII, and
after, in Poland. Many, when communism took over, emigrated to
Canada for political reasons. Some -- one is an economist, for
example -- also wrote poetry. The nature of their poetry, dealing
with political and personal issues, national identities, memories
of the past, living far from home, touched me. I could identify
with these feelings, these ideas. I chose one poem from each author
and offered my own analysis, and my own poem, and discussed the
impact of memory having connection to the past."
Anna also went on to present a paper at a
Toronto, Ontario conference on Emigration and Exile from Eastern
Europe in the 20th Century.
"I was the only undergraduate presenter
– I didn't even tell anyone how old I was until after the
presentation! I co-presented with a Minnesota woman who offered
a paper on the spirituality of Emily Dickinson poetry. Prior to
the conference we exchanged papers, shared some comments and found
a common thread which is 'Do we need poetry? Why do we write it?'
And the answer was 'Yes, we need it to respond to the questions
of life.' For me it answered the needs for rootedness and self-identity."
And where will Anna Nadgrodkiewicz, International
Studies major, poet, writer, presenter, translator, go from here?
"After a summer study abroad, in Vienna,
I plan to go to graduate school and then…perhaps foreign
relations, diplomacy or international business. It is now all…possible."
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