PATRYCJA PAWLATA
Gdynia Poland
“Gather Here…Go Far”…Northeastern State University is where success begins. And for Patrycja Pawlata, a member of the RiverHawks women’s basketball team known to her teammates at “Pati P”, the journey for success confirms the university’s mission.
A native of Gdynia, Poland, a city located on the Baltic coast, Pati grew up wanting to come to the United States.
Standing 6-foot-3, the opportunity to play basketball gave her the ticket to begin her journey of more than five thousand miles in search of academic achievement and career opportunities at NSU.
“By the time I was in high school, I knew I wanted to come to the United States. When I was 18 years old, I started my journey that included finishing high school at New York Military Academy where I played on a boys basketball team. It was very interesting especially the first time I got dunked on,” said Pati with a laugh.
After reviewing her offers to play college basketball and the opportunities available as an international student at NSU, Pati was all in on coming to Tahlequah.
“For me, it was like a family relationship. My teammates are like having ten sisters,” she said while noting she has two younger siblings at home in Poland. “We’re competitive, pushing each other to improve our skills and at the same time, we’re supportive of each other’s needs off the court. I don’t have a car, so my new sisters are my transportation.”
Majoring in cell and molecular biology demands a time management system; something that Pati cherishes the family like relationship with her professors and advisors in order to complete her academic game plan.
“It’s more than just classroom study and exams, there’s a heavy load of research labs that require a lot of my time. With the help of my professors, I’ve achieved a victory when facing the conflicts between my class schedule and playing basketball.”
In addition to the competition of the basketball court, Pati also achieves a winning score through medical research.
“In order to complete my major, I have research assignments including cancer research projects. I got to go to Oklahoma City and present my research results at the OU Health Sciences Center,” said Pati, who is on schedule to graduate in May2025. “My professors have made these opportunities available to me that will help me in pursuit of a Master’s degree as well as my future career.”
For Patrycja Pawlata, the opportunity to find success now and the future has been worth every moment.
“Priceless, NSU offers every student the chance to find happiness and achievement including social and academic success. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity.”
