From January to June 2025, 20 mentoring pairs took part in the TopMinds program, working together toward individually defined goals that would bring them closer to a more focused, balanced, and consciously designed international academic career.
For some, this meant narrowing down overly ambitious plans. For others – preparing a grant application, planning publications, or organizing a strategy for a specific fellowship. One mentee wrote a grant proposal; another decided not to – and both outcomes were equally successful, because they were conscious, well-thought-out decisions.
We don’t look into the inner workings of every mentoring relationship. However, four pairs agreed to share their journeys with us.
On Friday, June 13, we gathered at the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw to celebrate and reflect on this year’s edition. As always, we heard many words of thanks – to our program partners, the Academic Executive Board, the trainers, specialists who led the online sessions, and of course the mentors – all of whom devoted their time, often pro bono, to share their knowledge and experience with the next generation.
During the final event, four mentoring pairs shared their stories:
Gabriela Lampart and Sebastian Klich described how they worked toward – and ultimately achieved – their goal. Sebastian emphasized the importance of giving back to the community, recalling the words of Ambassador Brzezinski (also a Fulbright alum) as his guiding principle during the mentoring process. Both mentor and mentee are physiotherapists by training, and as Sebastian explained, he used the same approach with Gabriela that he uses with athletes: to succeed, you need consistency, resilience, and confidence.
Next up was the pair from Wrocław – Andrzej Białowiec and Małgosia Mielczarek – who spoke about the exercises they found most effective, both during sessions and as independent work. Andrzej, with a smile, noted that as an engineer, he simply applied the tools he was given during the introductory training. He also shared that even though he has already supervised nine PhD candidates and is currently working with nine more, this was the first time he had the chance to understand a doctoral student’s perspective so deeply. The mentoring process, he said, helped him reach a new level of engagement, sparked a genuine interest in Małgosia’s research, and proved that mentoring benefits both sides.
Jan Waligórski and Katarzyna Bojarska, representing the humanities, highlighted the importance of language and conversation in their process. They may not use engineering tools, but their key instrument – dialogue – was fundamental in building trust and developing insights. In a time of technological and political change, when the job market is being reshaped by AI, relationships and meaningful conversations are more important than ever. The opportunity to sit down every two weeks and talk for 2–3 hours about things that genuinely matter to both sides proved to be incredibly valuable.
Finally, Kasia Gołębiowska-Mendroch, a mentee in the fourth pair, opened her story by thanking the program for… not accepting her the year before. As she explained, being in her second year of doctoral studies allowed her to take full advantage of the program this time around. She entered TopMinds feeling tired and frustrated with her PhD, and her mentor, Karolina Czarnecka-Chrebelska, helped her let go of pressure, make intentional choices, and focus on what truly supported her growth. She now finishes the program with stronger self-esteem and the belief that – in her words – “TopMinds and Karolina as my mentor were the best thing that happened to me during my PhD.”
Saying goodbye to each cohort is always bittersweet. Parting is hard, but we’re once again reminded of how meaningful the program has been for both mentees and mentors.
Warm congratulations to everyone involved!
