Adela was a child always fascinated by nature, growing up in in the heart of the mountains. The Polish high peaks were more than just a source of amazement: tall, strong, stable and powerful, they would forever influence the ambitions of the little girl. This symbol of great challenges and safety helped shape an ambitious and energetic character: before graduating from high school, Adela began working, organizing events and festivals. In order to pursue her desired career in marketing at a cosmetics company, the studies became a secondary focus. Soon after, the young woman fell in love and this would once more demand for a shift in priorities. In her early twenties, Adela followed her heart to Austria to join her fiancé, while leaving behind her family, friends and career. That first year turned out to be a year of challenges but, more importantly, a year of self-discovery. The compromises began as she couldn’t speak German. The excitement she used to feel during her dream job in Poland was soon to be replaced with bitter-sweet frustration. Finding work only as a cleaning lady, babysitter or other small student jobs, did not fulfil her hopes. Resilient by nature, Adela did not allow these inconveniences to break her spirit or her commitment to have a good life. She wanted not only to make better opportunities for herself but to be able to help others in her position. She started seeing these jobs not as a burden, but as a very good opportunity to fit better in Austria and to have a more solid ground here. Through these, she could learn about different society levels, about norms and structures. Adela also used this period to learn German. When her relationship ended, she had already strong reasons to stay in Austria. Adela became engaged in mentoring programs for immigrants and gathered experience as a trainer in the integration sector. Soon after, she was fully integrated in the Austrian job market, but she still hoped for more. Her goal was set: to generate better career opportunities for all immigrants and bring innovation on the Austrian labour market.

She gathered all her past experiences, skills and knowledge under one hat and founded Networking Youth Career. Today, Adela is a strong pillar for the Austrian society. Her empathy, turned into the largest fair for young migrants, impact every year the over 2000 people engaged with the CareerFAiR and the other smaller events connected to this cause. Her impact was recognized, amongst others, by the MiA in 2014. For the future, Adela will use the values she learned home to guide her through her journey of reshaping the Austrian job market.