Sebastian Puchalski

Hometown:
Warsaw, Poland

Degree:
'11 BS Civil Engineering

Born in Warsaw, Poland, Sebastian Puchalski is a first-generation college student who went to high school in New York City. As a senior studying civil engineering, he was the recipient of a UW Credit Union Great People Scholarship.

The scholarship opened a huge amount of possibilities for me,” he said. “I want to thank the donors not only for the impact they have had on my life but also on the other people’s lives I will help through my work after I leave campus.”

Alicia Jackson is director of the Student Leadership Center in the College of Engineering and is the advisor to the Engineering Expo student committee. Students must apply to be a part of the Expo committee, and only a handful of students are selected to join the organization every other year. Puchalski was not only chosen for the committee, he also was elected as one of two executive co-chairs for the organization. He was responsible for oversight and management of the event, which brings close to 10,000 visitors to campus every other year.

“In co-chairing this committee, Sebastian ultimately assumed responsibility for overseeing all event logistics, including planning, implementation and delegation of tasks to the other student committee members who assist with the event,” Jackson said.

“I found Sebastian to be thoughtful, thorough and easy to work with. He is bright, inquisitive, always positive and upbeat and incredibly charming,” she said. “Through his work on Engineering Expo, Sebastian not only has demonstrated his ability to multitask, but also his passion for and commitment to the engineering profession. He is exactly the type of student leader we seek to produce here at UW-Madison – actively engaged in extracurricular activities and stepping up to volunteer and take on projects outside of the classroom, while still maintaining a solid grade-point average.”

Not only is he responsible, he’s also grateful. “Without my Great People Scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to attend UW-Madison,” said Puchalski. “This is such a tremendous opportunity for me, and I want to tell the donors how much my education here has changed my life.”