Gregory Phelan Best Foreign Student in Poland

Gregory Phelan is an exceptional Interstudent and a great pride of SGGW. Gregory’s intellectual and organisational abilities, sporting activities, and involvement in academic and charitable life are evidence of the very person who will be honoured with this prestigious award. We’d like to invite you to learn more about Gregory’s selected achievements.

Commitment to multiculturalism

Gregory is involved in initiatives supporting internationalisation on many levels – he is active in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, across the university, and beyond its walls – in Warsaw and on a national and international level. Over the past two years, he has organised international events that have done an excellent job of promoting interculturalism at SGGW and showcasing the authentic multiculturalism embedded in the DNA of SGGW for many years. Gregory’s efficient and effective collaboration with RTÉ – Ireland’s national television and radio station – resulted in recording a programme about foreign language students studying veterinary medicine in Poland. The report, which appeared on the Irish news and was broadcast midday (100,000 viewers) and evening (600,000 viewers), was an excellent opportunity to introduce our university to Ireland. The material showed how young people from different countries are integrating and developing in Poland and learning about the country’s culture and education system. In this programme, Gregory made a personal appearance, helping to raise the profile of our university and reinforcing its positive image as open and welcoming to international students. Gregory has thus become an authentic student ambassador for SGGW.

The direction – career!

Gregory has a strong belief that careers should be shaped right from university. However, he doesn’t do this just with himself in mind – he also supports other students in designing their career paths. A significant event initiated by Gregory was a meeting between Irish students, who make up a large part of the English-speaking veterinary community, and a representative from Veterinary Ireland. The meeting is held on the SGGW campus and is primarily aimed at students in their final years of study. The aim is to familiarise future veterinary surgeons and doctors with career support and development opportunities in Ireland. Through such activities, Gregory introduces students to different perspectives and allows her colleagues to make professional contacts that may prove valuable after graduation.

Educational and cultural activities

As part of her cooperation with the Irish-Polish Chamber of Commerce, Gregory actively participates in meetings with young Polish and Irish living in Poland, promoting Irish culture and the values of diversity. She also regularly teaches English classes to Polish children, supporting their language education and opening them up to cross-cultural contact. Everyone knows about the importance of contact with a native speaker – thanks to their apparent linguistic competence, but above all, thanks to their open, communicative attitude, many Polish children had the chance to have free and friendly contact with live English. For many children, this was their first contact with someone from another country. We are convinced that this experience will germinate in them towards openness to other languages and cultures.

Internationalisation at home – Gregory for Polish students

Gregory is committed to organising events aimed at integration and exchange between Polish and international students. Through initiatives such as international picnics, workshops and thematic meetings, Gregory facilitates intercultural dialogue and allows for a better understanding of cultural diversity. His open attitude helps to win people over.

Sports activities

Gregory plays a key role in popularising Irish sports in Poland as a player and chairman of Cumann Warszawa GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) – the largest GAA club in Poland and one of the largest in Europe. His involvement in sports promotes physical activity and is a powerful tool for integrating the international community. Through regular meetings, training and sporting events, Gregory sets an example of how passion and sport can bring people from different cultures together, and the club’s activities attract Poles as well as students and residents of Ireland and other countries, creating a space for cross-cultural exchange and building mutual understanding.

Charitable activities

Gregory is also involved with Polish charities, working with the St Patrick’s Foundation to organise the annual Charity Ball. The event raises funds for local people in need, and Irish students can introduce aspects of their country’s culture to the Polish academic community.

Gregory’s charity work is not limited to organising the Ball. He also actively collaborates with the St Patrick’s Foundation on other initiatives that combine helping those in need with cultural integration. As part of this collaboration, he and the Foundation organise smaller events, workshops and meetings that naturally combine the charitable mission with the promotion of the values of multiculturalism. Gregory also often involves local partners and businesses so that the activities have a wider reach and the local community can learn more about Irish traditions while supporting worthwhile charitable causes.

Think globally – act locally – ECOLOGY – the great success of Gregory’s idea.

The icing on the cake and proof of the versatility of Gregory’s efforts was the (initially) small but significant initiative to introduce free water dispensers available to students in all buildings, which, thanks to Gregory’s efforts, was realised and is now a flagship environmental action of SGGW. Access to water contributes to the well-being of our students and brilliantly reduces plastic consumption. Throughout Gregory’s five years as a student, we have witnessed many small initiatives that are impossible to ignore as they demonstrate a sincere and unwavering commitment to the academic community.

Through his efforts, Gregory Phelan contributes to internationalisation in the Polish academic community while supporting Polish students in pursuing knowledge and skill development. His efforts towards integration, cultural exchange, and educational support make him an invaluable academic community member committed to opening the doors of the world to his Polish colleagues.

We warmly congratulate our students on this prestigious award!

Honorary Patronage: Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Ph.
President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland (CRASP), Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Competition Jury:
Prof. Marek Pawełczyk, PhD, Chairman of the Chapter, Chairman of the CRASP Commission for International Cooperation, Rector of the Silesian University of Technology,
Prof. Dr. Hab. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of the University of Gdansk,
Waldemar Siwiński, President and Founder of the ‘Perspektywy’ Educational Foundation,
Kewin Lewicki, President of the Students’ Parliament of the Republic of Poland,
Anna Nieczaj, Chairperson of the National Representation of PhD Students