The Jan Karski Educational Foundation and Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego have selected two recipients of the scholarship funded by the Foundations to participate in the Georgetown Leadership Seminar, organized by Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. This prestigious program will take place from March 22–27, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Michał Kolanko is a Polish journalist and a chief political reporter for Rzeczpospolita, Poland’s leading daily newspaper. He focuses on political campaigns in Poland and the U.S., the intersection of politics and technology, and new media. He holds an M.A. degree from the Law Department at the Jagiellonian University (Kraków, Poland) but decided to devote his professional life to journalism. His book, Gamechanger: Behind the Curtain of Polish Politics (Rebis, 2022), about the complexities of the inner workings of politics, sparked widespread discussion.
“In a world grappling with deep-rooted polarization and rampant misinformation, Jan Karski’s unwavering commitment to truth serves as an indispensable guiding light for the democratic societies of today,” wrote Mr. Kolanko in his essay about Karski, which was part of the application. “[His] actions show the moral responsibility of individuals to confront injustice and oppression even in the face of overwhelming challenges… Karski’s legacy encourages the promotion of dialogue and understanding among diverse groups.”
Agnieszka Lichnerowicz is a journalist with Trójka (public radio) and author of the book “Is War Coming?”, and she is also the co‑author of the podcasts “Świat na zakręcie” (“The World at a Turning Point”) and “Rozumieć Ukrainę” (“Understanding Ukraine”).
As a reporter, she has covered elections, conflicts and international summits around the world, in Russia and Georgia, in Belarus, and in North Africa during the so‑called Arab Spring.
Above all, she has been travelling to Ukraine for over 20 years – reporting on successive Maidans, the annexation of Crimea, the igniting of war in eastern Ukraine, and the full‑scale invasion. For several years she also ran journalism workshops in Myanmar, a country undergoing political transformation. She writes, among others, for Tygodnik Polityka and Magazyn NEW. She is a laureate of the Polish Press Agency’s Ryszard Kapuściński Award. She teaches courses at Collegium Civitas and is a graduate of the Warsaw School of Economics (Szkoła Główna Handlowa).
Piotr Woyke is the director of the Eastern Flank Institute, think tank dedicated to strengthening the security, resilience, and strategic cooperation of the CEE states. His career spans government, industry, and analysis: he served at Poland’s Ministry of National Defence, where he helped organise the Strategic Defence Review, and later led analytical and support units in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, dealing mostly with the national security issues. He has also worked in the private sector, including arms industry. He began his professional path as an analyst at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW).
Woyke holds a PhD in political science from the Jagiellonian University, his doctoral thesis focused on the defence policies of Finland and Israel. He has been recognised through the CEPA James S. Denton Fellowship and the Hoover Institution’s International Seminar Program at Stanford.
Please read about the JKEF/FEJK-sponsored GLS scholarship recipients in previous years here.
Founded in 1982, the Georgetown Leadership Seminar is the premier executive education program at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, where Jan Karski served as a distinguished professor for 40 years. It brings rising leaders from around the world to the campus for a week of intensive discussion on major international issues. The GLS vision is to promote dialogue on global affairs and interdisciplinary cooperation among individuals who will help shape the future of their organizations and countries. Participants will have an opportunity to study major issues that influence U.S. foreign policy by meeting with top-level American policymakers and establishing contacts imperative for strengthening international understanding and cooperation. More information at: https://gls.georgetown.edu/.
Photos: Courtesy of Agnieszka Lichnerowicz and Piotr Woyke
