My Reasons to Study in Kraków

In 1914, my great­great grandmother Alice Dorwaski came to the United States from Poland. She was originally here simply to visit family that had immigrated to the US, but after she had been here for a few weeks, she received a letter from her family in Poland that simply stated: "Do not come back." The war had overtaken Poland. So that she could stay in the US, a marriage was arranged for her with a man she had never met. Before the wedding day, however, she met my great­great grandfather Leffingwell. They eloped, married and settled in upstate New York. Soon after the end of the war, Alice found out that her brothers had died fighting for the Polish resistance. However, she heard no news about the rest of her family, and she never did.

I'm sure my story is similar to many others during this period of time, and to this day my family, even after much research, has never been able to find out what happened to the remaining Dorwaski family members in Poland. Part of my passion for journeying to Poland is to pay respects to those family members who honorably perished fighting for their nation, and my heritage.

To that end, my passion for learning more about my heritage also extends into the passion I have for history. I want to learn more about my heritage, and the complex history of Poland, a country continually placed in the center of fighting for many wars due to its strategic location. I would be more than thrilled, I would be honored to take courses at one of the oldest universities in the world and breathe in the rich history (my history) and contemporary culture of Poland.

Since I was a little boy I knew that I wanted to know everything I could about the history of my heritage, and that has extended into a love of studying all things past, and to my selection of a history major as an undergraduate. To see the great monuments and pieces of art that I've read so much about, to see the landscape and meet the people — it is truly an incomparable experience.

As much as my parents have done for me, we have never been able to afford to travel outside of the United States to visit the places that I have learned and read about. I have always dreamed of this and have always wanted to see the places of my family heritage. I feel as a member of the greater global community it is important not only to know and take a vested interest in the history of one's own country but to extend that desire for knowledge to all the great places of the earth.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story about the very personal reasons that I want to visit Poland. I don't think I can even express my utter excitement about this opportunity and the fantastic experience I consider it to be.

Garrett Gay, University of Rochester Class of 2018, is a recipient of a Skalny scholarship for the summer study on location program in Kraków.