Almost 770 students received scholarships under the Bridge Scholarships Program this year; and nearly 500 of these scholarships are for the 1st year of university courses. The ceremonious opening of the 22nd round of Bridge Scholarships Program took place at the Central House of Technology in Warsaw.
On Friday, December 1, 2023, the Educational Enterprise Foundation together with the program’s Partners met the bridge scholarships holders at a ceremony of handing over the scholarship certificates to the winners.
This year’s main theme were efficacy, development and success, and they were discussed by the invited lecturers: Łukasz Szeliga and Kinga Kania-Królak.
As a reference to one of the themes – namely: success – posters showing the profiles of program alumni were placed in the exhibition area for the current scholarship holders to read the inspiring stories of their predecessors.
The alumni whose profiles were presented on the posters were the winners of earlier rounds of the Dreams Come True competition for scholarship holders.
Also, Dr. Zofia Sapijaszka, President of the Educational Enterprise Foundation which manages the Bridge Scholarships Program, referred to the stories of the program alumni. As the survey on bridge scholarship alumni’s careers conducted this year shows, as many as 72 percent of them are satisfied with their life and enjoy a stable job, and 85 percent are satisfied with their job – and these are just a few pieces of information presented by Dr. Sapijaszka in her opening address. She also encouraged the present bridge scholarship holders to take advantage of all opportunities they may meet and to improve their competence.
The inaugural lecture was given by Łukasz Szeliga, a tutor, educator and coach who referred to his own life experiences and made the audience ponder on what in fact the success is, how each of us defines their success, and how it is defined by the society. On the basis of his life experiences, he showed that it is worth caring for one’s own development and pursuing goals despite the difficulties everybody is facing.
Kinga Kania-Królak, the alumnus of Bridge Scholarships Program, told the story of her life: how a bridge scholarship holder from a small village in Lubelskie province became the President of the Management Board of Maciej Bednarkiewicz Academia Iuris Foundation in Warsaw.
‘I am grateful for all I’ve got, and I believe other people deserve to get the same chance,” our alumnus said. “The method of helping people, such as ‘housing first’ where we take care of one’s basic needs and later invite to develop and create the basis for that development, is close to my heart.”
The bridge scholarships were presented by Polish-American Freedom Foundation Program Director Radosław Jasiński and a member of Inter Cars Foundation Management Board, Katarzyna Oleksowicz.
The concert given by Syndrom music band, with Bartłomiej Śliwiński, this year’s scholarship holder, and his older brother Jakub (the program alumnus) added splendor to the meeting.
The meeting was hosted by Joanna Jonczyk.
