Matt Kowalski

The Miracle

Aug 19, 1999

On Aug 19, 1999 at around 11 PM I was in the old hospital building in Tarnow Poland. Both of my parents and their parents were also born in this hospital.

Smart

Nov 10, 2000

I consider myself to be pretty smart because I got into the Taft Academic Center. Also, my grades are always A's and B's. Sometimes even straight A's.

Flight to America

Apr 11, 2001

I came to America a few months after my mom did. I came here with my dad and my sisters. The reason for coming here was so my parents could get better jobs and they could support me financially.

Balanced

Dec 13, 2002

I am balanced because I know how to manage my time. When I am home I know that first I have to do my homework and only after that I can go hang out with my friends.

Peaceful

Feb 27, 2004

I always try to resolve problems in peace. So far in all my years at Taft I have not gotten into a fight and I dont see that changing any time soon.

Religious

Oct 11, 2005

Since I was born, I have been raised in a catholic household. Me and my parents make it a priority to go to church every sunday and we celebrate all Christian holidays.

The Return Home

Jun 23, 2006

After 5 years of being in the USA i finally went back to Poland for vacation. This was a really special moment for me because the whole time I was in the USA i was always missing my home country.

The Chicago Academy

Sep 7, 2006

I started school at Chicago Academy when I was 6 years old. I was really scared because the school was really big and I didn't speak english very good. However after a few weeks I got used to all my new friends and felt right at home.

Athletic

Apr 11, 2007

I consider myself to be athletic because I like to play soccer whenever possible. Even though I don't play other sports, playing soccer all the time is what makes me athletic.

Wisla Krakow vs. Chicago Fire

Mar 20, 2008

I went to go watch my first professional soccer game at Soldier Field with my dad and my brother in law. A Polish team was playing against Chicago Fire so my dad got us tickets. A year after this I went to another game but this time at Toyota Park.

JOM Soccer Club

Sep 5, 2009

After many years of begging, I finally convinced my dad to sign me up for a travel soccer team. The team I joined was an all Polish team. Before I played travel soccer, I would go to the park everyday and play with my dad.

Open-Minded

Feb 7, 2010

Im open-minded because I am pretty open to other cultures. Also, I take other peoples views into consideration before judging them.

First Travel Soccer Game

Aug 31, 2010

After a year of hard work my dad finally allowed me to play in league games for my team. Prior to this he said that I was not ready yet which is why I only practiced and didn't play. From that season this is the only team I remember because it was my first game. I even remember that we played in Mt Prospect.

Acceptance Letter from Taft

Mar 17, 2011

In January of this same year I took a test to see if I could get into the Taft Academic Center. My mom found out that Taft had a very good program for 7th and 8th graders so she wanted me to take this test. I remember that I happened to be having a party at my house when I got this letter and when I opened it I screamed so loud Im pretty sure half of Chicago heard me.

Happy

May 12, 2011

I am a very happy person. Even if I am going through some problems people will never be able to tell it. Most of the time Im smiling and talking to my friends. Or playing soccer.

Taft Academic Center

Sep 4, 2011

This was my first school day at Taft. I was not as scared as I was going into Chicago Academy because now I knew English and I went to the Open House. However it was still scary because I was one of the youngest people in the entire school since this was a high school.

Taft Soccer

Aug 20, 2013

My freshman year I tried out for the Taft soccer team. I did not think I would make any team because a lot of the players in the school were really good. However after 2 days of tryouts I made JV which I was proud of since I was a freshman.

Competitive

Sep 4, 2013

People always tell me I am too competitive. Whenever Im playing soccer with my friends I tend to get a little to into the game. Even if my friends are messing around, I tend to take it seriously.

Friendly

Sep 22, 2014

I am friendly because I make friends very easily. I can just walk up to someone and after a few minutes of talking I'll be friends with them. This is why I have a lot of friends.

Sensitive

Dec 28, 2014

In my opinion I am a little bit too sensitive. If I see someone getting put down or in a really bad situation, I tend to think about that for a long time. Also, I get sad if someone laughs at me even if I dont show it.