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Birth
I was born March 2, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois, to my parents, Ewelina and Rafal Kniaz. -
Summer Vacation
This was the first time I ever went on a vacation. My dad and I went to Poland so that I could meet my grandparents (from his side) for the first time. I remember I was very shy and timid with them because this was the first time I was meeting these people, I was only a year old. -
Meeting Gabi
Gabi and I have been friends since we were 2 years old. We've been friends for 14 years now. When we were younger we did everything together. We took gymnastics together, went to Polish school together, we even went on trips with each other's families.
Now we both attend Taft and give each other rides home. -
Little Sisters Birth
My little sister was born on July 16th. Out of both of us, I feel like she was always the more social child. She loves listening to any and all gossip I give her. I feel like I'm the one raising her sometimes because of how much she looks up to me. -
Winter Vacation
This was the first time I went to Poland on my own. The flight attendant was with me the whole time, but it was very scary because I was across the world, away from my parents, and traveling by myself. It was fun though because my grandpa took me skiing that winter. -
Pizza with Babcia
My grandma came to visit us for the summer. That whole summer we were going to the forest preserve to watch the ducks in the river, or we spent it making homemade food. My grandma taught me how to make "pizzerki" (mini pizzas). She made her own dough, and her own sauce, and grated the cheese herself because she says that "self-grated cheese is better than pre-packaged". -
Summer Vacation
My family hasn't taken a family road trip since Canada in 2015, so going to Marquette together just for fun and not to visit family was something really fun. We went for the whole weekend. We went hiking and saw so many gorgeous waterfalls. I cherish that vacation because it was one weekend where no one argued, we all just enjoyed each others presence and had fun. -
COVID Hits- Introvert
When COVID hit it was a hard time for everyone to adjust. We were all told we were getting 2 weeks off of school, but that turned into staying online for the rest of the school year. With COVID I feel like that confined me even more into the quiet person that I am now. It caused me to be more introverted than I was before because at the time we were forced to isolate ourselves, and now we have to get back to the social lives that we once had, -
Mosaic Entry-Artistic
I've done art for many years. It was something I did for fun. For my Polish school, there was an art entry we had to do to submit to the Polish board and I created a mosaic. It was easier than it looked and therapeutic with the tile smashing.
I ended up getting first place for my piece -
8th Grade Graduation
8th Grade Graduation was bittersweet. We were all saying goodbye to the school in which we were raised. The people we were raised with knew we were all going to grow apart, it was like we were saying goodbye to our sweet little family. Sometimes I will see some old friends in the halls and we will smile awkwardly at each other. -
Thoughtful
I'm always putting my friends and family first. I will put away anything that I am doing and take care of the person who needs help first. If my friends are having issues I try my best to be the first one there and help them get through it. -
First Job- Organized
My first job was as a cashier. I was so excited because I finally had some more responsibility. I was treating myself as an adult to learn how to balance school life and a job. At first, it was stressful, but after I got myself organized with how I spread myself out with school work I didn't have to worry about doing my homework after work because I did it all during my lunch and my work break. -
Second Job- Patient
For my second job, I worked at a daycare. I had to be calm and patient with the kids. It was exciting to help teach and take care of kids because it gives you some experience. You have to be patient with what they are asking and make sure you are calm when explaining things to them because they may not always understand if they did something wrong and why it was wrong -
First Actual Day at Taft- Friendly
The first day back to school in person was kind of terrifying. We were just thrown back into a school environment after a whole year of quarantining. All the teachers wanted to do IceBreakers. A lot of people were just scared to approach each other. Most people would sit with a group of people they already knew and there were some people who had no one to sit with at lunch or just struggled to find their class. I helped them out and we are still friends to this day. -
Third Job- Reliable
My current job is as a babysitter. I babysit for 3 families and that requires me to be a reliable person. I have to make sure the kids are safe, and I have to parent them for the next few hours until their actual parents come home. I have to feed them and make sure they're in bed by 8 pm. The families rely on me to make sure their child is safe and in good hands. -
Getting my Dog- Responsible
I had wanted a dog since I was little. My mom always hated the idea. I still don't know how I convinced her to get Toby, but I did. As long as I did all the work that needed to be done with him (walking, grooming, vet) then I could get him. My dad and I drove to Kendall, Wisconsin to pick him up and when we brought him home everyone fell in love with him (except for my mom, but she's slowly getting there). -
Dean Lewis Concert
This was my first ever concert. I had to beg on my hands and knees to get to go to this concert. I went with one of my friends and we had the best night of our lives. We were so close to the stage, he actually talked to us in between the sets because of how loud we were screaming. There were tears of joy streaming down our faces. -
License-Mature
I got my license, and that shows that my parents trust me enough to drive on my own. To me having my license proves that I'm more mature because I am now responsible for myself and a vehicle. The classes, the permit. the test and the hours that it took for me to get the license proved how determined I was. -
Smolasty Concert
I got to see Smolasty ( a Polish rapper) at the Taste of Polonia event. It was quite the event. I got to see him twice. Once on a Friday, and then again on Sunday because my mom got free tickets to the event. On Friday I was very close to the stage, but on Sunday I got a picture with him so that made me really happy. -
Finally Finishing Polish School- Studious
I'm finally finishing my last year of Polish School this year. I've been going since I was 6. This year I am a senior in my grade and we are studying for the biggest test of the year. It's relieving to finally be able to leave that in the past, but all the memories and the things we learned are going to be stuck with me forever. One thing that will always be stuck in my head is the dates.