Dormitory No. 8 is my home
鈥� says Cecylia.
Born opposite the dormitory
Cecylia has been connected with the student campus virtually since birth 鈥� quite literally. As she recalls, she was born opposite the dormitory, in a place where staff associated with the technical facilities of the old dormitories used to live. Her father worked at the Medical Academy, back when boiler rooms operated in the basements and dormitories were heated very differently from today.
However, her family roots go even deeper. Right next to 鈥淒ormitory No. 8鈥�, her grandfather had a farm. This was where she played as a child, where she grew up, where she knew every corner. Before additional buildings appeared, before student stories and generations of residents, it was simply the landscape of her childhood. As she explains, her grandfather鈥檚 land was later sold to the university.
It was a family story
Cecylia did not come here from outside. The student campus was a part of the life of her entire family. As she says, her two sisters had worked here before her. Her closest relatives were connected with this place, and later so were her own children.
It was for their sake that she decided to take a job in Dormitory No. 8 鈥� close to home, close to the school and nursery, so that she could combine her professional duties with raising her children.
The dormitory was close to home and when I had small children, I thought it would be convenient. If I managed to get them ready for nursery and school, come to work, do what I needed to do and then pick them up and take care of them, everything would be in one place
鈥� she recalls.
Her children grew up here, in the shadow of the dormitories, in a world that for others was only a temporary address for a few years of study. For her the place remained home for entire decades.
I鈥檝e devoted a large part of my life to this place
Cecylia started working in Dormitory No. 8 in 1991. She stayed for 35 years. She witnessed changing generations of students, successive renovations, the transformation of the estate, different customs, a different everyday reality and a different kind of student energy.
In the past, when there were shared bathrooms and kitchens, students knew each other better and were more integrated. Parties took place in the corridors 鈥� life was more communal
鈥� she explains.
She remembers Juwenalia celebrations from earlier years 鈥� parades, concerts, student competitions and festivities spreading throughout the entire student campus. She also remembers dramatic moments, such as a fire in the dormitory and the evacuation of residents. Yet even when she speaks about difficult or turning points, she always comes back to one thing 鈥� people.
I鈥檓 very happy, because I鈥檝e devoted a large part of my life to this place
鈥� she says when asked how she felt upon hearing that the dormitory would bear her name.
She was like someone close
However, it is the students themselves who speak most eloquently about Cecylia. They do not build a monument 鈥� they talk about everyday life, about a smile, about presence and about how good it felt to meet her in the morning.
She鈥檚 a very warm and open person. She was always there in the morning. I didn鈥檛 always see her on my floor, but you immediately smiled when you saw her 鈥� she would smile at you, sometimes say something, ask how your day was going. She鈥檚 just incredibly open. And even now, when she comes, she always greets us, sometimes brings something. Cecylia is truly lovely
鈥� says Karolina Traczyk, a resident of Dormitory No. 8.
The first thing I heard about her was a kind of legend 鈥� how she took care of our dormitory. I always saw her bringing something, giving advice, helping. She鈥檚 a very kind and warm person. It鈥檚 a shame she has retired, and I really think we鈥檒l miss her.
When needed, I comfort. When needed, I discipline
Cecylia herself speaks about students with disarming honesty. Over time, she began to treat them like her own children or grandchildren.
I say that I鈥檓 like a mother 鈥� when needed, I comfort and praise, but when needed, I also discipline
鈥� she says with a smile.
After many years, numerous former residents return. They come with their children, show them the dormitory and reminisce about the past. Some keep in touch via social media, others drop by during visits to 艁贸d藕.
The older ones come with their children and show them where they used to live 鈥� says Cecylia. I stay in touch with some on Facebook, because they鈥檝e moved abroad. I鈥檝e got my 鈥渟ons鈥� in Turkey, Spain 鈥� from Erasmus.
Emotion and disbelief
She learned about Dormitory No. 8 becoming 鈥淐ecylia鈥� by surprise. As she admits, she was not even aware that there had been a vote. Then she was told she had won.
Throughout the conversation, Cecylia consistently downplayed her role. She repeated that she had done nothing extraordinary 鈥� she was simply there, working and devoted her heart to the place. Over the years, she had seen changing supervisors, managers, rectors and successive eras of academic life, yet she did not speak about famous names or the official history of the place. Instead, she returned to everyday life 鈥� the most genuine kind, woven from student rituals and customs that shaped the atmosphere of the old dormitories. She recalled Juwenalia, holidays spent in dormitories, ordinary daily life, but also humorous competitions such as those for the hairiest chest or wet T-shirt contests.
Cecylia alongside Panda, Eden and Heptagon
It is only in the background of this story that a broader change at Lumumbowo appears. This year, during Juwenalia, four dormitories were given their own names.
Dormitory No. 5 became Panda 鈥� a name evoking associations with a sweet, calm, slightly lazy animal.
Dormitory No. 11 received the name Eden 鈥� because a dormitory can feel like one鈥檚 own little paradise.
Dormitory No. 7 is now Heptagon, referring to the number seven.
Yet among all these names, Cecylia resonates differently 鈥� because it is not merely an idea. It is a life story.
Edit: Kacper Szczepaniak, Centre for Brand Communications, 91桃色