Celtic Success for Polish Student

Anna Rolewska, a Polish student, graduates today with first class honours in Celtic Studies and shares a departmental award, the Lady Amy Parry-Williams Award with Miriam James who graduates with a first class degree in Welsh.

 

Anna had not considered studying Celtic languages at University originally. Despite being interested in Celtic literature and learning Irish in her free time, she had thought that securing a place at a university in the UK would be too complex a process for her at the time.

 

However, when she was a first year English studies student in Poznan, Poland, she heard that there was an excellent Celtic Studies course at Aberystwyth University, and she decided to try her luck.

 

“I managed to persuade my best friend to give up her undergraduate studies as well, in the hope that she too would find a better course at Aberystwyth; we had lots of support and help from staff at the University, and from other people from Poland who were familiar with Aberystwyth.”

 

Anna had been mainly interested in modern Irish but she soon realised that there would also be a fair amount of emphasis on Welsh at Aberystwyth University. “This was of course completely understandable as we are in the heart of Wales,” said Anna.  By the time she had started her second year she was studying alongside Welsh first language students; she admits that she was thrown in at the deep end, “but perhaps this is the best way of encouraging hard work!” she added.

According to Anna, she will definitely be staying in Aberystwyth for the time being, a decision based on her love for the Welsh language - and for one Welsh speaker in particular!