Mariola Bruszewska is Polish and was born and grew up in Bialystok, 190 kilometers North East of Warsaw. As a child she loved to draw with crayons and brushes. It was her pastime and her joy. 

Mariola feels her passion for the visual arts dates from this early age and this intensity has not diminished since but has grown and followed her throughout her life. “Art was always a path that I wanted to follow.”

Although she wanted to attend the High School of Art in Warsaw it was too far from home. Also, because she was the youngest in the family, her mother wanted her close by.  So she attended the local High School and although enjoyed it immensely she felt an emptiness inside her. “I was missing something, the real me.” She was craving an opportunity to change her life.

One of Mariola's powerful images

She decided to go to the US to live with her sister and to study art. However, her dream was not realized immediately. The school she wanted proved to be too expensive especially for an international student. As an interim measure she attended CUNY’s LaGuardia Community College, completing an  AAS degree in Programming and Computer Systems. She didn’t envision writing code for the rest of her life so she examined combining her newly acquired computer skills with her long standing attraction to art. She applied to City College’s Electronic Design and Multimedia course and says “that was the best decision I could ever make.” City College was the answer.  

It allowed Mariola to pursue her long held dream since childhood and adolescence. “The Electronic Design and Multimedia major is exactly what I need in my life.” The EDM faculty provides not only the skills but also instills confidence in her and her fellow students. They provide opportunities for her to develop her talent in art as well as in design. The EDM program also secured her an internship at Rodale's Prevention Magazine where she is further developing her skills and learning the essentials of operating in a professional environment.

Mariola plans to graduate from City College in 2009 and to pursue a career combining her artistic skills and technical expertise. She also hopes to continue her education in Graduate school.

Mariola’s pull to the visual arts is powerful and constant and it gave her the perseverance and courage to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today. She feels she is in the right place at the right time, the perfect place. “All of my experience in City College made me stronger, more mature and ready to take risks.” It is what a college education should do.