Grzegorz Kalinowski would’ve never left his home in Poland, where college is free, for his education if he did not receive a full scholarship in the United States.
“I would not have come here [United States] if I had to pay for school on my own,” Kalinowski said. “I saw an opportunity to learn how to speak English and that was a primary goal to accomplish.”
Kalinowski is a junior middle distance runner for the Eastern Michigan University track and field team.
He is 22 years old, and he comes all the way from Torun, Poland, where he has five older siblings between the ages of 33 and 40.
He got his start in track and field at age 16 when he attended NKL Torun, which is a club school.
Before choosing to come to EMU, he considered Michigan State University, Purdue University and the University of Arkansas Little-Rock.
Kalinowski originally majored in psychology before changing his mind and making the switch to marketing.
“I started off in psychology and obviously marketing seems more beneficial to me because with a degree in Psychology, you have to stay in school longer,” he said. “At the same time marketing does involve a little bit of psychology because I still learn a little bit about human behavior and implement it.”
When it comes to picking a favorite class, Kalinowski it’s his business law class even though he considered it to be mundane when he took it back in his home country.
“I took it back home in Poland and honestly thought it was boring and I fell asleep during class and barely passed, but here at EMU I got an A because it was more exciting and the teacher made the material more exciting,” Kalinowski said.
After graduating from EMU, he wants to work for either a marketing research company or a sport club back at home.
“They are building a full-size, indoor track back in my hometown and it is supposed to be done by the end of the year, so there will be an opportunity to become a facility manager or whatever positions that relate to my area of expertise after graduating,” he said.
Right now, soccer is the dominant sport in Poland, but Kalinowski wants to see track and field become more popular.
“Even though our national soccer team sucks, I would like to make track more interesting for people to watch at the stadium or on television,” Kalinowski said.
When it comes to picking a favorite meal, he quickly responded by saying an english muffin breakfast sandwich.
“You take an english muffin and toast it and then put a slice of Gouda cheese, ham, fried egg and pesto sauce,” he said. “Once it is put together, it tastes delicious.”
Kalinowski is not big into listening to music or watching television but said he likes to watch plenty of movies.
“When you are on the bus for three hours or more during a road trip and there is nothing else better do, then you pop in a movie to watch to help pass time,” he said. “Some of my favorites that come to mind are ‘American Beauty’ and ‘The Matrix.’ ”
Kalinowski’s biggest role model is his older brother, Jon, because of how he has instilled discipline on him and ultimately made him a better athlete.
“He implanted to him that by not being productive and lazy, then you are wasting your time and energy,” Kalinowski said. “You are missing out on life if you decide to be unproductive.”
Follow Eugene Evans on Twitter: @EasternEchoGeno.
