| WHY I SUPPORT THE KOSCIUSZKO FOUNDATION? The Kosciuszko Foundation is an increasingly important part of my life. I came to the USA in 1982, when Martial Law was introduced in Poland and the Communist repressions against the democratic opposition fueled a wave of emigration to America. I knew no English, and my only experience with America was through the few dubbed sitcoms Polish television showed, Tarzan and Charlie’s Angels. I remember having Coca Cola and Heinz Ketchup on the flight, and thinking it would be wonderful to have these available. My experiences in Poland were to stand in lines with rations for eggs, bread, and other basics. More significantly however, they also included education, and I learned to read and write in Polish at a very young age because my father read me Pan Tadeusz when I was only a few years old.
My family started out in Philadelphia before moving to upstate New York three years later, when I was almost eleven. As the eldest child with immigrant parents who grew up in a world that no longer exists, I was put in a position of catching up with American social norms and popularities, and did so. As a result, it wasn’t until college that I became an accomplished student, where I earned a BS and MBA in four years, while studying abroad and earning internships in Warsaw in 1994 and Hong Kong in 1996. That led to a Kosciuszko Foundation Scholarship in 1997-2000 to study law.
During this time, I clerked for a chief federal judge, and earned a summer internship at a top law firm in Silicon Valley, which is where I wound up working for 7+ years. I became an executive at several startups after that, and now run my own business named Silicon Valley Counsel helping and advising Silicon Valley startups.
I also travel back to Poland to help Polish entrepreneurs, and have made my life the way I want it: self-sufficient and always evolving. As I have grown older, I have realized how much my name defines who I am to others, especially in our digital age, where our names precede our profiles, accomplishments, experiences, and talents. It’s this that’s made me understand that supporting the Kosciuszko Foundation is more important than ever.
There are nearly 10 million Polish-Americans in the USA, and the Kosciuszko Foundation provides them a source of pride, and history that is unique and special. I think every Polish-American should learn about Kosciuszko, his heroics, and the values he stood for. Perception in the USA is based on accomplishments and prestige.
It’s an honor to be a Kosciuszko Foundation scholarship recipient, because of what it helped me achieve: an education that enables me to make a living, and for what it taught me about being Polish-American: mainly knowledge that we Polish-Americans have played a proud, important and unique part in American history. West Point and the Kosciuszko Foundation are there today to prove it.
"Kosciuszko Today - a poem/rap tribute"
Wiersz Petera Szymańskiego zgłoszony na konkurs
Kolego (friend)…
I never felt envy
Never felt jealousy
Swear on my life that's not me
Everything I got, everything I achieved
Was from education, hard work
And the grace of those who believed in me
In Poland, it was King Stanislaw Poniatowski
And his cousin Prince Adam Czartoryski
Who gave me the chance to be the man I’d be
By establishing the Royal Knights’ Academy
Where I earned a merit-based scholarship
To further enlighten, and elevate me
I’d already stepped up when in grade school
to learn Greek, Roman and Polish history
As a Knights cadet I studied fort construction, topography,
drawing, mapmaking, engineering, and trigonometry
How to be an example, how to act honorably
These were the principles taught to me
Remember too, for you, as with me
Every obstacle creates opportunity
To move to the next level, to grow organically
So what I did when the powers that be
Created a no-win dilemma for me
Was change direction and move to Paris
To study economics, philosophy,
More engineering, plus military strategy
Important skills and practices, for any pedigree
While continuing to deepen my ethics and integrity
Those are virtues our world could use more of, clearly
Don’t let others dictate your path,
that’s my lesson from cosmopolitan Parie
You see, they wouldn’t let me, a foreigner, attend the Ecole Militarie
So I enrolled in the School of Painting and Scuplture,
and tracked down professors, to tutor me privately
Invest in knowledge, it’s the way for people with names like you and me
Work super hard for your grades today
And they’ll work even harder for you forever, you’ll see
The story of me, it’s simple, except it was never easy
Educate yourself, be diligent, and evolve,
In yesterday’s world, today’s, and tomorrow’s, it’s a necessity
Though that’s still not enough, therefore the next lesson for thee
Be ready for people who will block you, they exist everywhere
Eventually you’ll need to know how to spot them early!
After Paris, that’s when I learned
About people like Sosnowski,
Whose daughter I loved
And she loved me
Alas, Louise it was not meant to be
Pigeons are not meant for sparrows, your father said,
The poor, the peasants, not for the wealthy
Man, that’s no way to see
Haters look for differences in birds’ feathers, sadly
Not souls, not values, not their inner quality
Expect nothing from anyone, though respect family
If someone disparages you, look up how to respond appropriately
Next time, you’ll be ready
Stand up for your own, and let the birds fly as they be
And magical things will happen, like my next life in America
Known as the land of Free
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Though our world is rarely so, when you look closely
Be ready for that, no matter who you be
There are unscrupulous out there,
Who wait as sly foxes to take your opportunity
Often we have no idea until it’s too late, who they be
They may come from top universities, professions, or a wealthy family
Their conduct’s inexplicable, until you realize greed and envy
Drive people of all statures anywhere, so look for them closely
It’s often those who you never expect to be
Wear sheep’s clothing, and will be your friend initially
They may have more than you in reputation, achievements, or money
So it’s natural to let your guard down
Then they will take advantage, painfully and misfortunately
Remember too, they’ll never be convinced, they’ll never be fair to thee
For them, getting the better of you is their fait accompli
I realized that from Napoleon and Talleyrand quickly
So leverage that reality, to be a modern day Machiavelli
Good people exist also, look for them naturally
In America, Ben Franklin gave me my first chance unequivocally,
Still politics are hard, I discovered that from George Washington initially
Though he was Commander in Chief, and knew of my quality
Even then, there was only so much he could do
to acknowledge and reward me
That’s the way it is mostly,
so keep pushing to break through eventually
It’s possible to get disheartened, so don’t let yourself be
Always stay very strong mentally
Success is built by evolving from setbacks and blocks enthusiastically
All that info I looked up, it really helped me
When others in America disparaged me
It also helped the Yankees first beat the British
At the Battle of Saratoga, the Revolutionary War turning point victory
My strategy for General Gates there created my next opportunity
When Commander George Washington asked me
to design and build Fort West Point, the headquarters for his Continental Army
There Thomas Jefferson later established the elite West Point Academy
To this day, it exists for those with the honor there to be
An international symbol of discipline, leadership, intelligence,
physical fitness, and character for distinguished military
My story did not end there, evolving is the only way to be
I went back to my homeland, to do all I could to help people be free
My journey was full of epic battles, and personal conflicts
Much of Europe then, was revolutionary
All of my life, I never stopped fighting for equality and liberty
My lessons, my friends,
Education, that’s what made me
Plus hard work, and integrity, that’s what helped me
Befriend a person not for their wealth, nor name, nor ethnicity
Rather their values, their character, and moral quality
Make money when you can, that can be helpful, even greatly
But don’t give up freedom or passions, that’s too costly
Help the underprivileged, that’s my most transferable legacy
So to those willing to help them, you’re all Kosciuszkos with me
We don’t always get what we work for
That’s normal, don’t expect differently
Don’t take for granted what your work gets you
Before it was even harder, believe me
Be strong, a class act, always act properly
Become a skilled, knowledgeable, positive person, don’t get discouraged
To provide yourself multiple chances to grasp opportunity
PETER SZYMANSKI, USA
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