Basia

Originally from a village in the suburbs of Poznan, Poland, Barbara, or Basia as everyone calls her, is an applied linguistics student at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. Growing up with her parents and two younger brothers, she had a seemingly great childhood. “My mom stopped working to raise me and my brothers so there always was someone home. .... Our main responsibility was to be good students; however, I have always felt pressure to have the best grades possible.”

Basia was raised in a Catholic family, believing that God exists and that she is loved but only turned to Him in times of need.” Basia was greatly impacted during the twenty minutes of silence at her first camp experience. “The biggest gift for me at camp was the invitation to have conversations with God.” However, the pandemic was a tough time for Basia and she started having doubts about whether God really exists. The isolation and lack of fellowship further perpetuated the distance she felt from God. Everything finally changed when she was invited to participate in a non-denominational Bible study and grew close to friends of other religions. “Those two encounters were catalysts for change and I started asking myself, ‘Why am I a Christian?’ I started reading the Bible and praying a lot and doing research on Christianity.”

Now, as a part of the Developing Global Leaders program, Basia is pursuing a degree in applied linguistics with the hope of becoming a teacher one day or working for an international organization. As a DGL student, Basia hopes to grow as a person, grow in her faith, and to become a better leader.