‘I always wanted to be a radio presenter and now I’ve got my own show in the UK.’
Kasia is a radio personality in Cambridge presenting in both English and Polish and she’s often recognised when she’s out shopping or at events, which she says makes her feel ‘a little bit famous’. She describes her path to success as ‘not the obvious route’.
I grew up in Poland and from an early age I knew I wanted to be a radio presenter in England. I used to sit and watch BBC travel documentaries with my parents on Sunday afternoons and I found the presenters to be fascinating and inspiring. I started to study for a degree in journalism in Poland, but after my first year I realised it wasn’t the right choice for me. I was constantly made to feel that I couldn’t make it in the media.
I then took the bold decision to switch to a degree in English, which was a turning point that kickstarted my career. I soon realised that knowing English allowed me to learn new things and get even more inspired. I could now read more books, listen to and understand any radio or TV show in English.
Becoming a journalist was a dream come true for me, made possible by learning English.
After graduating I took an even bolder step on my English language journey by moving to the UK. It was a big move but I was determined to make it as a journalist.
I’ve always thrived on learning and soon found myself signing up for lots of different courses. I studied journalism, voice coaching, video production and presenter training. Anything that I thought would get me to where I wanted to be!
They all helped but there were still challenges to overcome and I was often made to feel at a disadvantage for not being a native speaker of English. Having said that, my confidence in English was growing every day, which gave me the motivation to succeed.