Dorota Wierzbicka
Poland Country Manager

"Dzien dobry from Polska!!!
Dziekuje for being such true friends of my country."

About Me

I was born in January of 1976 in Siedlce. Siedlce is a town in Eastern Poland with the population of 78,000 people and very rich history. The town's existence dates back to the 1400s.

During World War II 50 percent of Siedlce was destroyed and the Nazis policy of extermination caused the population to be reduced by over one third. The city was rebuilt after the war but in the style that was very typical of the communist architecture; there was no color and all the buildings were gray. But now, finally everyone can notice new changes and my town is growing and looks prettier every day.

Even though I used to think about moving and living in Warsaw, I now feel more attached to my hometown each day and can't see myself living anywhere else in the near future. I have a very small family: my Mom. We are very good friends. I am also very close to my extended family. I enjoy spending time with my cousins and always look forward to the holidays or reunions in the company of my extended family.

In high school, I developed my passion for the English language. This is the place where I had my first real English lesson at the age of 16. At the age of 18, I spent my summer vacation studying English in London.

At that point, I already knew what I wanted to choose as my college path. I liked studying languages and English at that time was a very new and desired skill. High schools and universities were the only places that could offer this language to some of their students and the demand for English teachers was truly very high. I received my degree in 1998. I decided to work part-time as a teacher and continue my education. I submitted my application to the University of Warsaw and earned my master's degree in the English language linguistics in the year 2002.

My Professional Life

I first heard about Global Volunteers when I was in my first year of college. I wanted to do something interesting during the following summer and this, of course, had to do with English. So I became Global Volunteers' interpreter and that assignment lasted for the next five years.

After I finished college, I also worked part time as a teacher. In December 2000, I became Global Volunteers' full time country manager. I have enjoyed every minute of my job. I have met so many wonderful people that I wouldn't have met anywhere else. I will always treasure the friendships and have very fond memories of the volunteers, the staff of Global Volunteers' home office and my fellow country managers and team leaders from all over the world. This is truly an amazing set of people.

Being a teacher, I certainly enjoy all the English projects that the program in Poland offers. However, after spending time on our project working with at-risk children, I have a great interest in this area as well. It has become a very absorbing and valuable part of my job.

My Favorite Things

Thanks to my job with Global Volunteers the world has become smaller for me. And learning about new cultures is one of the most favorite things in my life. I also enjoy hiking in the Polish mountains and riding a bike. I like books, movies and music.

My philosophy of life:

"Hurry up to love people; they go away so fast."
~ Jan Twardowski

Dorota was Global Volunteers Staff Person of the Year in 2001 and 2004