Upon his first visit to the Marist campus, Damian Bednarz fell in love with the Hudson Valley scenery and knew that Marist's liberal arts degree along with its low student-to-teacher ratio was just want he wanted. He enrolled in the political science program right away, focusing on foreign policy and international relations, and worked for the Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) for two years.
Damian's first internship opportunity came during the summer of 2002 after completing his sophomore year at Marist. He interned for the British Consulate in New York City as a research assistant. During the fall of his junior year, Damian traveled to London to intern with the British House of Commons through the Hansard Scholars Programme. The program is "a 12-week full-time course which offers an opportunity for international students to gain academic and practical knowledge of the British political system and current debates in UK public policy." (http://www.hansardsociety.org.uk/) This highly competitive program only accepts 18 students each semester from around the world.
Damian worked as a research assistant to a member of Parliament on issues ranging from the European Union to the national health program. In addition to experiencing the fast-paced environment of a London office, Damian took classes at the prestigious London School of Economics.
When Damian returned to Marist in January of 2003 to complete his junior year, he started thinking about what he wanted to do after graduation. Duleep C. Deosthale, Ph.D., former assistant dean, Marist International Programs, recommended that he apply for scholarships. Damian came across the Fulbright Program and worked on his application throughout the summer of 2003.
Established in 1946, the Fulbright Program "is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide." (http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html)
Damian credits Dr. Shawn Shieh, associate professor of political science at Marist, as well as Dr. 
Deosthale for helping him complete the application process. In February of 2004, Damian received word that he was awarded the Fulbright Fellowship, and at the end of March he discovered that he'd be traveling to Poland. This was of great significance to Damian since his parents are Polish immigrants. Shortly before Damian was born, his mother and father migrated to Austria during Poland's martial law in order to achieve their ultimate goal to move to the United States. Damian is fluent in Polish and took three years of German classes at Marist.
In May of 2004, Damian received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Marist, with a minor in global studies. Soon after, he left for Warsaw, Poland, where he worked on his Fulbright research project entitled "Coalition-Building in Post-Communist Poland: The SLD and Beyond."
"Damian was one of our best and most enterprising students in the Political Science Department at Marist," recalls Professor Shieh. "He was the first political science major at Marist to receive a Fulbright."
In 2006 Damian sent an email to the grassroots organizers of the Barack Obama campaign looking for information about how he could get involved in his home state of New Jersey. One thing led to another and Damian was eventually asked to be the New Jersey state director of the online effort, www.DraftObama.org. To his disappointment, only three people showed up at his first meeting. Damian began focusing his efforts online and organized five "watch parties" in New Jersey diners. He co-founded the New Jersey for Obama organization while support grew to 500 members and at the same time continued to pursue a master's in international relations from Seton Hall University's Whitehead School of Diplomacy.
The official Obama campaign in Chicago took notice and hired him as an online organizer in their New Hampshire office. Damian received his Master of Arts degree on May 4, 2007, and assumed his position with the campaign in New Hampshire five days later. He immediately began to work on ways to apply new media technologies as well as use new tools, e.g. using text messaging to announce Barack Obama's vice presidential candidate, Joseph Biden. Damian moved on to other states and was eventually asked to join the head office in Chicago. In June of 2008, Damian assumed the position of regional new media director for the Northeast where he managed online strategies for more than 13 states.
"I loved it," Damian reflects. "Even though the job did not relate to either my Bachelor's or Master's degrees, I was working on what I believed in and was dealing with people, which is the core of political science."
After the election, Damian returned home to New Jersey and it wasn't long before he received a call asking him to be the deputy new media director for the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Damian oversaw two web sites, one of which he still maintains part time. It was during this time that Damian was recognized for his work and was named "Rising Star of the Year" by PolitickerNJ.com. (http://www.politickernj.com/)
"Damian always combined academic excellence in the classroom with practical experience earned through his various internships, such as the Hansard internship, during his time at Marist," says Martin Shaffer, Ph.D., dean of the School of Liberal Arts and associate professor of political science at Marist. "It is no surprise to me that since graduating from Marist, Damian successfully completed a graduate degree from Seton Hall and played an integral role in the Obama campaign last fall. His combination of intellect and activism is a great model for all Marist students."
When asked what advice Damian can offer to current students, he says, "Lay out the biggest network possible. Whether your niche is political science or business, it doesn't matter. You should get to know people in all fields - don't limit yourself to the one you studied in school.
"I believe every student at Marist should study at least one semester abroad, even if it's only short term. In my opinion, more majors should offer opportunities where the credits from abroad will transfer more easily."
This profile was originally published in the April '09 issue of the Marist Minute enewsletter. If you’re not already receiving the newsletter, register now at https://www.marist.edu/alumni/maristminuteform.html.
If you or an alumnus/a you know would make a great subject for the Alumnus/a Profile, let the Alumni Office know at maristalumni@marist.edu.
