I love it when people stop in the middle of our conversation and ask: “Where are you from? I can tell not from South Louisiana”. I smile and kindly respond: “yes, a little mystery no one can solve by just hearing me, but do you understand me?”
My story started in Poland where I was born and raised until the age of 10, at which age my family immigrated to Toronto, Canada. I am lucky enough to have the memories of a completely different world, living in a communist era, yet experiencing childhood as naively and as purely as a child should. The standards for academics and ambition, however, were not limited by the environment I was brought up in, and on the contrary, my parents held standards higher than average for us. They sacrificed their careers, friends, and family to give us a better opportunity in a free country like Canada.
In trying to fit into a new society of pre-teenagers and being limited in English, I found strength in sports, which helped me bond with others my age that accepted me as a friend. I started running at the age of 11, at which point, it was just because I excelled at it. I never knew it would later become my religion, my discipline, and my metaphor for life.
I still however struggled to speak and was silenced by fear of not being understood. In the 6th grade, a teacher challenged my fear by enrolling me into a public speaking contest. I was terrified and after many sleepless nights, through a simple speech about my baby sister, I won. I finally felt relieved and accomplished that I was actually understood. Since that moment, I have never stopped talking and as those around me know I have a story to share at every opportunity I get.
Toronto offered me many opportunities for growth culturally, academically, and athletically. After graduating from Schulich School of Business at York University and having accomplished success in a financial career at the Canadian Bank of Commerce, I found a new calling in life. Not knowing exactly where Lafayette resided on the map, I was ready for my next step, which was marriage and moving to this new world. Challenges were endless as I was a big city girl who believed she would never need to own a car. So I ran around exploring the area. Again through many running activities, I made friends whom I now consider family. I network and share my stories about my worldly travels and connections I have made along the way, which inspired me on so many levels as an individual.
The highlight of my life occurred in 2010 when I gave birth to my son Jackson. My sole goal was to be his role model and teach him how to overcome any fear. This gave me the motivation to enter professional runs. My first marathon was 6 months after his birth and I have not stopped since. I run 2 marathons a year and have brought him as far as Paris, France and Anchorage, Alaska where he was convinced I won every race. Running is not only my passion, but also my religion. My mind only slows down when my body moves the quickest. I finally have time to reflect and love the earth I am touching, and life I have been given. I truly believe success can only be felt when earned and every mile I run and every pain I feel makes that finish line so much more gratifying. It is easy to give up, but then that would be so simple.
My drive for ambition and growth has never slowed down. A mentor in the Pricing department at Stuller hired me in 2005. Shyly, I adapted to a new family of 1200, whom for the first time, I had a hard time understanding through their proud Cajun accent. I was under the impression “sha”
was baby talk as I heard mothers on the run refer to their children until I heard my peers in
the hallways and smiled to myself. I was accepted and welcomed to their family like I was
one of them and they tried to teach me everything from peeling crawfish to inviting me to every festi
val in the city. Over the last 4 years at Stuller, I ran the call center, which made me fall in love with the people, even more and most importantly with our customers. I understand that my strength is connecting with people, motivating them, and really listening to them. I am now a part of the new Customer Experience team proudly representing our customer stories in my own language; Polish-Canadian-Cajun and somehow I am still hoping to be understood.
