Hi, my name is Alicja Zajac (She/Her/Hers), and I am a freshman majoring in biomedical engineering at the City College of New York. I am 18 years old and have lived in Staten Island practically my whole life except for the first two years when I lived in Brooklyn.
I am fluent in both English and Polish. My parents both immigrated from Poland when they were around my age, my mom coming from Stalowa Wola and my dad from Mielec. Unfortunately, I have not been to Poland since I was 5 years old but hope to visit sometime in the future. However, I attended Polish school every Saturday from pre-k up until I graduated at the end of high school where I learned to read, write, and speak Polish as well as study its history, geography, and traditions. Although I didn’t always see it this way, I am thankful for my parent’s decision to enroll me in this school as it brought me some of my closest friends and has provided me with many opportunities while exposing me to my family’s culture.

I only have one sibling, an older brother named Piotr, although I am super close with my cousins Sara and Marya who I consider my sisters. My family also has a beagle named Rex, who is the cutest dog ever.
I haven’t really done much reading outside of school, however, some of my favorite books have been The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Phantom Tollbooth, The Outsiders, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Wonder. I also remember enjoying some of Kate DiCamillo’s books when I was younger such as Because of Winn-Dixie and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I do hope to get more into reading this year so if anyone has any suggestions for some good books feel free to let me know.
In regards to writing, I tend to struggle with knowing how to start as a result of having so many ideas and not knowing how to get them down on paper. Something that helps me with this struggle is creating a quick outline including all of my ideas which typically allows me to stay on topic and get a starting point for my writing. I also am not the strongest when it comes to spelling and grammar.
Outside of school, I tend to be more outdoorsy. I love skiing, hiking, camping, and biking. I started skiing when I was 3 years old being taught by my dad. Some of my favorite mountains to ski are Belleyre, Gore, and Windham. My family usually goes camping once a year since my aunt’s side of the family owns land upstate that used to be an old Boy Scout campsite on a beautiful lake. Camping is always so relaxing and I just love sitting by the fire, roasting marshmallows for s’mores or kielbasa for dinner, telling stories, having late-night parties, kayaking at the lake, diving off the floating dock, driving the ATVs through the forest, playing with all the dogs that run around, and I could just keep going on and on. The most recent hike that I’ve been on was in Bear Mountain State Park, but some of my other favorite hikes include The George Trail in Watkins Glen State Park and the George and Rim Trail loop in Buttermilk Falls State Park. I’ve also biked some trails before but forgot the name of the park because I usually tend to bike near my house since I use it to get to the gym or my friend’s houses. I also taught myself how to ride a bike without my hands. One of my favorite spots to bike would have to be under the Verrazano bridge near Fort Wadsworth, especially during the summer as the sun is setting. Some other fun facts about me are that my favorite colors are blue and green, my favorite food is sushi, I know how to play the trumpet which I learned over the course of 5 years, I learned mix martial arts when I was younger, and in high school, I was on the girls track team with my main events being mid-distance running as well as some field events like javelin, and discus. I can’t wait to meet you guys and look forward to a successful and productive semester with all of you!