Posted on November 21, 2005 in Perspectives
By Anne Hobby

Anne Hobby

Staff Writer

Name: Eliza Szaniawski

Year: Junior

Major: Political Science

Hometown: Westbrook, ME

21

What nationality is “Szaniawski”?

Polish.

Why are you studying political science?

I want to go into international relations. I would like to go overseas to Poland.

Do you know Polish?

Yes. I grew up bilingual.

Was it hard to grow up bilingual or bicultural?

It was weird because some of the things are not accepted by my parents that are accepted by other people’s parents like dating and being social. My parents were like “that’s not very important.” They were focused more on education and getting ahead in life.

Why did your parents choose to come to Maine in 1983?

They didn’t really have a choice. They were refugees so they had to go where they got accepted. First, they had to move to Germany. They tried to get accepted to other countries and they waited until they got accepted to America.

Do you ever go back to Poland?

Yeah, I actually go back every year. Since I started school I haven’t been able to.

What are your goals for your career in international relations?

I’m looking into the FBI and being an ambassador in Poland. The relations between the U.S. and Poland have greatly improved.