Zuzanna Campalastri
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY 5th District)
Zuza has just graduated from a BA in Education, Policy and International Development at the University of Cambridge. Her interests and future career plans lie largely with inclusive education; she’s passionate about making educational environments more welcoming for all types of learners. To that end, she co-founded Fundacja Neuroróżnorodni – an NGO aimed at improving educational opportunities for neurodivergent students. Last year, she interned at the Polish Ministry of Education and Science where she worked for a team of staffers drafting an inclusive education bill. The insights from that experience allowed her to contribute to TFLF’s report on the integration of Ukrainian children-refugees earlier this year. Zuza was previously awarded a British Alumni Society scholarship to study in an independent boarding school in England.
Borys Sadowski
Rep. Daniel. P. Meuser (R-PA 9th District)
Borys has recently graduated from the Uniwersytet Warszawski with a Master of Laws degree, spending one semester at Uppsala University in Sweden. Borys’s professional interests revolve around maritime policy and international relations, with special regard to sea security, Latin America affairs and deep-sea mining. He mastered his skills by being a member of the University of Warsaw team for the Willem C. Vis Moot competition and by conducting internships in the Bureau of Commissioner of Human Rights and international legal companies. In his free time, he enjoys reading books (especially modern novels and sociology), traveling, and trainspotting.
Kinga Ścierska
House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the US House of Representatives
Kinga graduated from Erasmus University Rotterdam with a Master’s in International Economics and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Business Economics. She completed a semester abroad at Nova SBE in Portugal. During her studies, she was an active board member of EESA, the Eastern European Students Association, where she represented Polish students. She helped to organize the Dutch National Economics Olympiad as a member of the Study Association AEclipse. Her academic interests include trade policy and income inequalities. She wrote a thesis on the impact of Trump’s Trade War on the 2020 US presidential election. Kinga gained professional experience working in the Department for International Trade at the British Embassy Warsaw, the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade in Brussels and as a research intern at Polityka Insight. She enjoys hiking, cross-country running and listening to podcasts.
Agnieszka Wójcik
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH 9th District)
Agnieszka has graduated from the Uniwersytet Warszawski with a Master of Laws degree and has finished her Advanced Master in European Law (LL.M.) at the College of Europe in Bruges. She is also an alumna of the Center for American Law Studies, organized in cooperation with Emory University and Georgia State University. She served as the United Nations Youth Delegate of Poland in the term of 2019-2020, working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland. During her studies, she has been a passionate mooter, representing the University of Warsaw at various international competitions in international and European law fields. She has gained her professional experience while working in Polish and international law firms and volunteering for various NGOs advocating for refugees’ rights and access to public information, including the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights or Citizens Network Watchdog Poland.
Weronika Lurka
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI 8th District)
Weronika has just graduated from the University of Oxford with a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She received the St Catherine’s College, as well as Wilfrid Knapp’s scholarship for her academic achievements. During her studies, she was an active member of Oxford University Polish Society, where she was the Project Leader of the oldest conference for Polish students in the UK, the Congress of Polish Student Societies in the UK. Weronika gained professional experience in the fields of investment banking and consulting through summer internships at Morgan Stanley and PwC. Her interests include playing tennis, 20th century history and Sartre’s philosophy. She speaks Polish, English, French and has recently taken on Russian.
Mikołaj Szpunar
Lord Bird’s Office (House of Lords)
Mikołaj completed an internship at Lord Bird’s office in the House of Lords. He recently graduated from London School of Economics, where he pursued a MSc in Global Politics with a focus on international relations, global health and global economy. Prior to that, he completed a Bachelor’s in Finance and Accounting at the Warsaw School of Economics with an exchange semester at the National University of Singapore. Mikołaj attained his professional experience in multiple institutions, including Goldman Sachs and Boston Consulting Group. He was also an active volunteer of the European Youth Parliament Poland where he served as a Board Member for Projects and Campaign Against Homophobia. Mikołaj currently resides in London and works at a strategy consultancy firm.
Antoni Gaweł
Lord Storey’s Office (House of Lords)
Antoni has recently obtained his Master’s degree, having studied at the University of Nottingham, the Jagiellonian University, and Sciences Po Grenoble. His academic and professional interests revolve around international relations and diplomacy; previously, he interned at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in London, served as the President of the University of Nottingham’s Polish Society, and worked on several research projects spanning multiple countries. He is also a Young European Ambassador and is due to begin a Blue Book Traineeship at DG NEAR in March 2023. In his free time, he enjoys going to the theatre, reading, sailing, and horse riding.
Michał Skręta
Michał is an undergraduate student at Stanford University who came to California after completing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program in his native Warsaw. At Stanford, he is an Undergraduate Senator and a Research Assistant for Professor Francis Fukuyama and for Andrew Grotto. Prior to becoming a TFLF Scholar, Michał was the Speaker of the Polish Youth Parliament (Sejm Dzieci i Młodzieży) and later served as the Youth Delegate of Poland to the United Nations, addressing the 71st UN General Assembly in New York. He has also gained professional experience in investment banking and management consulting. Michał hopes that the experience in US Congress will equip him, and other scholars, with indispensable tools and insight to help shape in the future the public policy landscape in Poland.
Ewelina Piech-Możejko
Ewelina completed a BA degree in Russian Studies at the University of Wroclaw (Uniwersytet Wrocławski) and is currently pursuing an MA in Interdisciplinary European Studies at Willy Brandt Centre at the University of Wrocław (Centrum Studiów Niemieckich i Europejskich im. W. Brandta) and a BA in Psychology at the SWPS University (Uniwersytet SWPS). Ewelina is a young social activist who has organized many conferences, seminars, debates & social projects. She is a member of the Forum of Young Diplomats and recipient of several scholarships, e.g. Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Polen), Educational Enterprise Foundation (Program Stypendiów Pomostowych) and Polish-American Freedom Foundation. She is interested in politics, social psychology & literature.
Bartosz Kubiak
Bartosz is a graduate of the Law with American Law degree at the University of East Anglia (UEA). He is a native of Gliwice where he completed his International Baccalaureate. He balances his time between international law, commercial law, and politics. Laureate of two Honorable Mentions at the 2017 VIS International Commercial Arbitration in Hong Kong. He also wrote a dissertation on the commercial use of space resources and worked as a research assistant on an academic paper about blockchain in the US. He previously interned at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, a leading lobbying agency in Warsaw as well as for a judge in Florida. Outside of academia, he relaxes while cooking, watching baroque and impressionist art, and reading about his life passion – 20th century history.
Justyna Skrzyńska
Justyna has graduated as an engineer in Tactical Navigation and as postgraduate in Airports’ Aviation Safety at the Polish Air Force Academy and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Navigation and Airspace Management. She gained international experience whilst studying at Defense University in Brno, Czech Republic and participating in the International Military Academic Forum. Justyna has also participated in many international conferences regarding Air Safety and Air Traffic Management and writes extensively on this topic. Before joining the military, she gained business experience working for large international companies. Her interests cover diplomacy and foreign affairs with focus on the NATO alliance and international conflicts.
Karol Waluszewski
Karol has just finished his year abroad at Sciences Po in Paris and is entering into his final year at University College London, where he studies Arts and Sciences. He has undertaken diverse leadership roles, from presiding over the UCL Polish Society and founding the largest conference in its history (UCL LEADERS: Poland in a Global World) to implementing a state-of-the-art educational program in a village in western Laos. He is also a former member of the Polish National Windsurfing Team, representing his country during three World Championships and two European Championships. His other passions include kitesurfing, backcountry snowboarding and pop-art.
Magdalena Węglowska
Magdalena is currently pursuing an MA in Law at the University of Łódź. She has also studied at the University of Turin with a European Legal Studies major. She is involved in many extracurricular activities and is an active member of The European Law Students’ Association (ELSA). She has participated in numerous courses, delegations and conferences in Europe, USA and Argentina, such as the WTO Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires and the UN Commission on International Trade Law session in New York. Magdalena has also completed several internships including at the Polish Permanent Mission to the UN in New York. As a Pulaski Foundation scholar, she will shortly join the Academy of Young Diplomats. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling, skiing and theatre.
Jerzy Gut
Jerzy is a First Class Honours graduate in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Warwick. During his academic years he co-organized the 11th Congress of Polish Student Societies in the UK, founded and run “Młodzi Dwudziestoletni” digital newspaper, was a scholarship holder of In.Europa Academy and was chosen to be a member of the BCG in Poland mentoring program #EmpowerPL. Jerzy gained considerable professional experience whilst working in the banking and think thank sectors. To understand better how specific aspects of public policy work in practice, Jerzy has recently completed an internship at Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (Polish National Development Bank) in Warsaw in the division responsible for managing EU funds.
Anna Richards
Anna grew up in Warsaw with a British father and a Polish mother, and completed the International Baccalaureate at Kopernik Bilingual High School. She has since gained a first class degree in History, and is now studying for an MPhil at the University of Oxford. She first became involved in Conservative politics during the 2015 election, and has been a party member ever since. She has previously interned at the British-Polish Chamber of Commerce in Warsaw, and worked with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland in Westminster. Anna hopes to contribute to the building of closer relations between the two countries in her future career.
Aleksander Napieraj
Aleksander has recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Law. He is recipient of the Leonard Coling Scholarship for academic excellence. In 2019, he will be joining Allen & Overy in London to commence his legal training contract. Aleksander is interested in public international law and wrote his dissertation on the application of international law regime to cyber-attacks. He enjoys travelling, playing basketball and taking part in MUN conferences.
ALUMNI
2023 Interns
Marta Gajda
Marta completed her internship at the office of Representative Mike Quigley (D, IL-5th).
Marta is a law student at the University of Silesia in Katowice, specializing in criminal law and criminology. She gained practical experience through internships at the Ministry of Digitization of the Republic of Poland and the European Parliament in Brussels.
In her community, Marta founded the Youth Council of the Pawłowice Municipality and serves as a councillor for the Youth Council of the Silesian Voivodeship. She spearheaded a successful social campaign promoting Polish Sign Language called “Show it!” which earned recognition as the best project in the Silesian Voivodeship. Marta is an active member of the Zwolnieni z Teorii Foundation, where she mentors and supports the development of over 20 social projects.
She is also a recipient of the Educational Enterprise Foundation Scholarship and a fellow of the Clinton Global Initiative for 2022/2023.
In her free time, Marta enjoys sports and is learning Chinese.
Krzysztof Erdt
Krzysztof completed his internship at the office of Representative Jimmy Gomez (D, CA-34)
Krzysztof graduated with first-class honors from Warsaw University of Technology this spring with a Master’s in Automatic Control, Robotics and Industrial Information Technology. His thesis regarded the analysis of norms outlining a unified and streamlined digital transformation of the manufacturing industries.
He has been working as a software engineer for the last two and a half years, as a consultant and a chatbot developer. His professional and personal interests are developments and regulations regarding AI, cybersecurity, and the general technology industry.
In his free time, he enjoys watching movies and Drag Race, as well as playing padel
Karolina Kisiel
Karolina completed her internship at the office of Representative Mike Gallagher (R, WI-08).
Karolina graduated from University College Maastricht in summer 2023, finishing a degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences. In the spirit of interdisciplinarity endorsed by her alma mater, Karolina combined International Relations with Law and Political Science. During her studies, she developed a keen interest in geopolitics, artificial intelligence in the military domain, Chinese foreign policy, and American foreign policy.
She wrote her Bachelor’s thesis on lethal autonomous weapons systems regulation in the U.S. To further develop her skills gained at the university, Karolina participated in many extracurricular activities. She was the president of Amnesty International Maastricht Students group , participated in and won various Model United Nations conferences, and engaged with debating societies.
Furthermore, she completed an internship at the office of the MEP, Łukasz Kohut. She also published her capstone project during a fellowship at the Institute for Youth in Policy, which elaborated on U.S. security in the Arctic region.
Karolina loves listening to classic rock music, mountain getaways, going to the gym, and traveling
Paweł R. Galiński
Paweł completed his internship at the office of Representative Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5).
Paweł is a Ph.D. student in economics at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics and a full-time researcher at one of the Polish top economic institutions. His academic and professional interests include behavioral macroeconomics, monetary policy, and international trade relations.
Paweł is the author of two scientific papers on behavioral biases’ impact on conducting monetary policy that he presented during high-level international conferences in Tirana (Albania), Bamberg (Germany), and Nice (France).
He is also a recipient of the Polish Ministry of Education scholarship “Najlepsi z Najlepszych! 4.0.” for promising future Polish researchers and participated in the SGH Young Scientist Program and Boston Consulting Group EmpowerPL program.
Moreover, before starting his scientific career, Paweł made his first professional steps as an Analyst at Deloitte Consulting M&A Team and held a Chair position of the Students Research Association of Finance and Macroeconomics that aims to promote high-quality economic discussion in Poland through projects like Macroeconomic Congress and Reform for Poland.
Paweł is also a dedicated FC Barcelona supporter (since 2009), hiking enthusiast dog lover, and holds a bronze belt in Karate Shotokan.
Joanna Maria Mroczka
Joanna completed her internship at the office of Representative Marcy Kaptur (D, OH-09)
Joanna has just graduated from Sciences Po, Paris with a master in International Management and Sustainability. She received the French government’s Eiffel Excellence Scholarship by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs for her academic achievements.
During her studies, she led the Association of Polish Students in France, ASPOL, which focuses on promoting Polish-French economic, social, and political cooperation in collaboration with the Polish Embassy in France and the French Embassy in Poland.
Prior to that, she completed her undergraduate studies at The University of Edinburgh receiving a first-class honors degree in Sociology with Quantitative Methods. Her degree was part of the Q-Step Programme, a UK national initiative to advance the use of quantitative data analysis in the social sciences.
Joanna gained professional experience working in the Corporate Sustainability Departments of Kering and Pernod Ricard, the Statistics Department at The Scottish Government, and as Project Support in the Boston Consulting Group.
She enjoys spending time playing basketball, running, and learning about and discovering different cultures.
Konrad Rajchel
Konrad completed his internship at the office of Representative Larry Bucshon (R, IN-08)
Konrad has just obtained his bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems at Warsaw School of Economics. In his thesis, he was investigating the impact of decisions made by central banks on the WIG20 stock market index. In addition, Konrad spent his second year of studies at Bilkent University, Ankara. This fall, he is starting a master’s degree in QEM SGH – Models and Methods of Quantitative Economics.
Konrad had several professional experiences, e.g., interning in the Ministry of Finance and National Bank of Poland. Due to extraordinary results in learning, he was awarded a scholarship by the Educational Enterprise Foundation. Konrad is engaged in many extracurricular activities. Last academic year, he voluntarily was the Ambassador of the Ministry of Finance, and in the upcoming academic year, he will be the Ambassador of AICPA&CIMA. Also, during the last academic year, he took a position of the President of the Economic Geography and Regional Research Student Club.
His deep interest in Geography is highly connected with his passion for traveling.