A Spring Break Odyssey to Poland for UIC Students

Introduction

Twelve UIC undergraduates enjoyed a unique opportunity to travel to Poland this March through the Department of History’s inaugural Spring Break Study Abroad program. Professor Keely Stauter-Halsted, the Stefan and Lucy Hejna Endowed Chair in the History of Poland, led students from a variety of academic disciplines on an eight-day tour focused on the “Culture of Resistance in Poland.”

Based in the medieval city of Cracow, the trip featured day trips to Warsaw, the mountain resort of Zakopane, and the iconic socialist city of Nowa Huta.

The group set out to interrogate the long history of organized resistance in the Polish lands and to learn about the diverse protest movements that have erupted in Poland today. To this end, participants met with activists working on refugee and migrant issues, women’s and LGBTQ+ rights issues, and participants in the Solidarity Trade Union movement that helped bring down communist rule in Poland. They visited iconic sites like the Warsaw Uprising Museum, the newly opened Queer History Museum, the Schindler Factory, and Cracow’s famous Jewish quarter. Each student had the opportunity to research an activist or resistance fighter and to share their insights with the group as a whole.

The trip was partially supported through funds from the Hejna Polish Studies Endowment and included students from across the LAS curriculum. Professor Stauter-Halsted hopes to run the program again during Spring Break 2027. Applications for next year’s trip will be accepted through UIC Study Abroad beginning November 2026.

For many participants, the trip was truly transformative. Those with Polish cultural background deepened their understanding of Polish society today. Many saw the lessons they had studied in Polish Saturday School come alive for the first time.

As one student put it, “even though I [was already] emotionally connected to the country’s history . . . I am grateful for the opportunity to better understand its rich and beautiful culture, and even some of the darker parts” of that past. For another member of Polonia, despite having grown up in a Polish family and attending Polish school, Poland had felt distant, “like an idea rather than a real, lived place.” The study abroad experience changed that: “for the first time, everything I had learned about Poland became tangible,” the student recalled.

For those without direct Polish connections, the program was in some ways more meaningful. “As someone who does not study the humanities [and does not have Polish roots], I [worried I would] be a little out of place. But by the end of the trip, I realized that those differences were exactly what made the experience so meaningful.” Another noted that her “biochemistry major at UIC does not have much room for history so this trip was the best way to incorporate a more well-rounded education” and better prepare for a career in the health sciences. Others found similarities with activist groups with whom they had worked in the US or simply enjoyed hearing the stories told by the various witnesses who shared their experiences.

Student Testimonials:

* This was truly a wonderful trip. . . . It was one of the best experiences of my life. It allowed me to grow both intellectually and personally, deepened my understanding of my own identity, and taught me so much about Poland’s history as well as its current social and political realities. (junior Teaching of History major)

* Even without a background in the humanities, I found myself drawn into the stories and conversations. Hearing from activists and guides who were personally connected to these movements . . . . pushed me to think more critically about issues like equality, rights, ad social responsibility—not just in Poland, but globally. (senior Chemical Engineering major)

* I am grateful for my experience in Poland and I already want to return, Kraków is, by a mile, the most beautiful city I’ve ever been to, and I had the time of my life.” (sophomore, undeclared)

* I absolutely loved this study abroad experience. The trip revealed a greater level of nuance in Polish history than I had anticipated. I was able to take off my rose-tinted glasses and understand Poland, not just in its proudest moments, but also in its defensiveness, vulnerability, and attempts to skew historical memory. I also had the pleasure of falling in love with Kraków. (senior Biology major)

* As someone involved in activism in Chicago, I found seeing similar problems in an entirely different context helpful in analyzing the same problems in the US. (senior Political Science major)

* Not only did I learn about the culture of resistance in Poland, I also learned the importance of critical thinking and reading between the lines to develop an unbiased understanding of a nation’s history. This was an incredible, valuable, and life-altering opportunity that I will be eternally grateful for being a part of.  (junior History major)

* [The trip] was the perfect balance between learning in the classroom and experiencing that on my own. (senior Biochemistry major)

* All in all, I am so happy to have gone on this trip. I got to visit amazing places, eat great food, and meet new people. This trip was really the cherry on top of my final year. (senior History major)