On behalf of the Polish Studies Initiative, we'd like to thank all of our kind donors and those who shared our fundraiser with their friends and colleagues for their support in this endeavor. In total we were able to raise $1,149 to support our annual grant and scholarship competitions. We're so excited to see what future experiences and projects your generous gifts will support in the future!

Be sure to keep an eye on both the Polish Studies Initiative and the Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies' websites to hear more about future campaigns and events related to PSI!

Z poważaniem,

Alicia Baca
Polish Studies Initiative Program Coordinator
CSEEES Outreach Coordinator

We're excited to share that as of today, we have reached $1,000 which means that we have received enough donations to fully fund a future PSI scholarship! Thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this goal! We're excited to see what experiences your generous gifts will help us support down the road. 

We've got 2 days left in our campaign and we'd be thrilled to fund a full grant ($1,500) in addition to the scholarship. Please keep spreading the word and share the fundraise link with everyone you know! 

Giving Tuesday is here! The PSI staff and advisory committee are so thankful for the support of our donors who have helped us to support Polish Studies here at Ohio State. In the next 24 hours, we’re looking to raise $750 to help us fund a full grant for our next competition cycle. Raising money for a PSI grant will support projects that to expand the reach of Polish Studies not only at Ohio State, but across the field of Slavic Studies as well. 

While there are many causes to donate to today, we hope that you will consider donating to PSI. Even if you cannot, we would appreciate it if you could spread the word about our campaign so that others can learn about the work that we do and the experiences and projects that are supported by PSI!

Dziękuję bardzo za pomoc!

We've reached 29% of our goal! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far and to those who have spread the word about our campaign! Our next alumni story was written by Lauren Hayden who also was a PSI scholarship recipient for 2024. Lauren is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology and used her scholarship to not only attend, but teach at the Slavia Mortuary Field School in Giecz!

PSI Alumni Stories: Lauren Hayden (2024 PSI Scholarship Recipient)

Receiving the Polish Studies Initiative (PSI) scholarship from the Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies has profoundly impacted my academic and professional growth. The scholarship helped fund my summer 2024 trip to Poland, enabling my continued participation in leading sessions at a medieval bioarchaeology field school in Giecz through the Slavia Foundation. This experience provided the means to collect foundational data for my research, which investigates physiological stress markers in the 11–12^th-century population. Portions of this research will be presented at the Paleopathology Association conference in Baltimore, Maryland, in March 2025.

Beyond research, the PSI scholarship enriched my cultural and linguistic understanding. Immersed in small Polish farming communities, I engaged with local archaeologists, developed my language skills, and gained valuable cultural insights. These experiences strengthened my appreciation for cross-cultural collaboration and improved my teaching abilities as I guided 23 students in human osteology coursework and fieldwork methods.

The collaboration with Polish archaeologists and students worldwide emphasized the power of interdisciplinary teamwork in advancing bioarchaeological research. The skills and relationships I built have been vital, reinforcing the importance of networking and sustained partnerships. Thanks to PSI's support, I am equipped to explore further how socio-political and economic changes impacted health in medieval Poland, contributing to the broader field of anthropology. This scholarship has set the foundation for lasting professional connections and future research opportunities that will shape my work for years to come.

In case you didn't see, our deadline has been extended to Friday, December 6! That means we've got just 10 days left until the end of our campaign! Feel free to share the Buckeye Funder link with everyone you know and stay tuned for more alumni updates.

We've reached 11% of our fundraising goal! Thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We're very excited to see what experiences your gifts will support in the future, so we've brought back our alumni features so that you can see what past PSI recipients have done through our funding. Our first alumni story comes from Luke Bendick who was a 2024 PSI scholarship recipient. Luke is a second-year MA student in Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies and previously earned a BA in History from Ohio State. Luke is currently in third-year Polish and plans to pursue a career in the United States intelligence community after graduation. 

PSI Alumni Stories: Luke Bendick (2024 PSI Scholarship Recipient)

The Polish Studies Initiative scholarship has given me an invaluable opportunity to further my study of the Polish language as a graduate student studying Poland. As a student who began learning Polish only a year before entering the Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies graduate program, I felt my lower-level language skills was holding me back from getting the most out of my grad school experience. I sought out ways to strengthen my skills within the relatively short time I knew I would have in grad school, and thanks to the PSI scholarship I was able to do just that. With my scholarship I had the privilege of spending a month in Kraków, Poland at the Jagiellonian University’s summer language program. That month was spent in the classroom and on the streets of Kraków learning and practicing not only my language skills, but also building my confidence with the practical use of the language.

This semester I have come back to Ohio State with a newfound confidence in my Polish language skills and have started on my master’s thesis where I will incorporate Polish sources in my research. Spending a month in Poland has also given me a greater sense of cultural awareness which has also been helpful as culture is an important component of my thesis. I am grateful for the amazing opportunities PSI has given me to study Polish in Poland and how impactful it has been on my academic experience!

Today we honor Veterans Day, Armistice Day, as well as Poland’s National Independence Day. Observed yearly on November 11th, Poland’s Independence Day commemorates the anniversary of the restoration of the country’s sovereignty in 1918 after 123 years of occupation. Without the efforts and sacrifices made by the heroes who fought for Poland’s independence the work that the Polish Studies Initiative (PSI) supports each year through our grants, scholarships, and events would not be possible. PSI’s staff and advisory committee would like to take this time to honor the dedication of the veterans and all who have worked to uphold peace and lasting unity not only in Poland but here in the U.S. as well. 

If you would like to support PSI and the work that we do to further the study of Poland, please consider donating to our fundraiser today.