By Peter Severinson
- Franciszek Czyzowicz, one of this year’s recipients of a Governor General’s Medal
Without a doubt Franciszek Czyzowicz, one of this year’s recipients of a Governor General’s Medal, chose the right degree.
Graduating with a Bachelor of International Business, Czyzowicz has traveled much of Europe as well as South America, the Middle East, Mongolia, and China. He’s seen about 40 countries, 25 of those in the last five years.
He says he’s been able to travel through a combination of winning scholarships, living at home, and working part time as a waiter and soccer coach, all while being a top student in Carleton’s Bachelor of International Business program.
He’s focused mainly on studying finance and international issues he says. ”I was just trying to get classes that relate to my travels.”
Czyzowicz is the winner of one of two Governor General’s medals this year. He also recently won a Fulbright Scholarship to study in the United States. He will be spending the next five years at Harvard University in a combined master’s and Ph.D. program in government.
As the son of Polish immigrant parents growing up in Québec, Czyzowicz speaks both Polish and French. He says he decided to study in Ontario partly to improve his English. He picked up German in university classes and while studying briefly in Vienna. Learning Spanish was relatively easy he says, because it’s so similar to French.
He’s currently studying the changing culture in international relations. Today more countries are giving up elements of their sovereignty to participate in global organizations, something he says was unheard of a few hundred years ago.
After working a few years academically, Czyzowicz says he wants to enter politics.
“He will do us all proud,” says Lorna Unger, Czyzowicz’s academic adviser. “I think we’re going to be hearing more from him … I think we will all be able to be proud to say ‘he started off here with us.’ ”
This article first appeared in the June 2005 Convocation issue of Carleton Now, Carleton’s official monthly news publication. Check out this publication at http://www.now.carleton.ca/