Kinia Adamczyk
Concordia University

Sharing Information as a Means of Better Understanding, Collaborating and Building

Kinia Adamczyk, of Polish origin, is an accomplished musician and communication studies and journalism student at Concordia University who draws her energy from social and academic involvement and compares her life to a small tornado. “My family and friends keep telling me that I always take on too much but the positive results of my personal and social endeavours are so invigorating that I just can’t see myself stopping now!”

The young woman, who speaks four languages fluently, loves to see people pull together to better learn and grow, and her bold projects have always had a positive impact. Among other things, it was as President of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies that Kinia brought together over 150 people for the presentation of a documentary on the deportation of Poles, which was followed by a group discussion with a World War II survivor.

“By accepting the role of president of the Foundation, Kinia showed leadership and proved that she had the necessary skills for promoting teamwork. In this regard, the success of the activities she organizes speaks for itself,” pointed out Irene Tomaszewski, founding president of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies.

It was as a member of the journalism students’ association that she set up a forum attended by almost a hundred people that enabled students to meet and talk with media professionals. “While taking part in a mission in China and the Philippines with Junior Team Canada, I learned the importance of networking and realised that it was important to give my fellow students the chance to network with professionals in their field. You never know, for some this simple event could mark the beginning of a brilliant career.”

Kinia was one of the team leaders of the first Concordia delegation to take part in the Jeux franco-canadien de la communication in 2006. She was also the winner of the 2007 Miss Polonia contest in Montréal and is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. She takes advantage of her experience in journalism to write about people who help to make their community a better place. This is in fact what she did in the summer of 2006 when she spent six weeks in Guatemala and wrote an article about young people, rural development projects and the Canadian volunteers carrying them out. “The work experience in Guatemala was a wonderful opportunity and has strengthened my desire to continue towards a career in international journalism” she confided.

To pursue this dream, Kinia spent the summer of 2007 in Croatia where she carried out a personal project sponsored by the Canadian Journalism Project organization, which enabled her to study the role of the media and Canada in the Balkans and more specifically in Kosovo and Sarajevo. Before leaving, she even studied Serbo-Croatian as a way of getting closer to the people.

“Kinia is one of those rare students who can maintain a high academic standard while being strongly involved in numerous activities. She is nothing less than a role model for students who wish to put their energy, talent and training towards making the world a better place,” said Mike Gasher, Graduate Program Director and Assistant Professor at Concordia University’s Department of Journalism.

Kinia Adamczyk
Concordia University